UNI Advances to Title Game at Battle 4 Atlantis

Thursday, November 23

Nassau, Bahamas

2 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

5-1

North Carolina State

5-1

NC State

UNI

UNI Advances to Title Game at Battle 4 Atlantis

11/23/2017 4:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score UNI-NCState-box-2017-1

BOX SCORE (PDF) | SEASON STATS (PDF)

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas - University of Northern Iowa freshman Tywhon Pickford registered an 18-point, 18-rebound performance to lift the Panther men's basketball team to a 64-60 win over the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the semifinals of the 2017 Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis.

UNI (5-1 overall) advances to the championship game of the Battle 4 Atlantis where the Panthers will take on the No. 5-ranked Villanova Wildcats (5-0 overall) on Friday at 11 a.m. on ESPN2.

The Panthers led by as many as seven points at 19-12 with 11:50 left in the first half. N.C. State would battle back and knot the game at 32-32 at the intermission.

The Wolfpack opened up a seven-point lead of their own at 49-42 with 9:38 left on a three-pointer by Braxton Beverly. UNI would answer with a 10-2 run to retake the lead at 52-51 on a pair of free throws by Bennett Koch with 5:35 remaining in the game.

N.C. State's Markell Johnson bured a three-pointer to give the Wolfpack a 58-56 lead with 3:38 left, but Koch would even it back up with a dunk of his own with 1:48 remaining.

The Wolfpack would turn it over and a driving layup by Juwan McCloud put the Panthers on top for good with 1:08 on the clock. The Panther defense came up with a stop and Klint Carlson's bucket with :13 left gave UNI a 62-58 lead. N.C. State's Omer Yurtseven tipped in a miss with :04.3 ticks left to pull the Wolfpack to within two at 62-60.

UNI's Isaiah Brown would ice it away by draining a pair of free throws with :03.1 and clinch the Panther victory, 64-60.

NOTES: Pickford's 18-rebound performance is the most by a UNI Panthers since David Gruber grabbed 18 rebounds vs. Montana on Nov. 22, 2002 ... Pickford also set a career-high with 18 points ... UNI has won five games in a row.