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Jan. 9, 2007

Final Stats

NORMAL, Ill.

Illinois State's Levi Dyer had a game-high 20 points, and Osiris Eldridge scored five of his 18 points in overtime, as Illinois State posted a 67-64 win over the University of Northern Iowa Tuesday night at Redbird Arena.

Eric Coleman (Maplewood, Minn.) and Brooks McKowen (Fairbank, Iowa) led UNI in scoring with 12 points apiece.  Each player had a solid all-around game, as Coleman added seven rebounds, five assists, three blocks and three steals, while McKowen had a team-high nine boards, four assists and two steals.  Adam Viet (Ackley, Iowa) and Jared Josten (Webster City, Iowa) each had nine points for the Panthers.

The game was tight all the way, as there were 14 ties and 21 lead changes, including seeing the contest tied at halftime, 25-all, and at the end of regulation at 59.  Neither team led by more than four points in the game.

McKowen's heroics forced the extra session.  After Illinois State took a 57-56 lead with 30 seconds left in regulation on a layup by point guard Boo Richardson, Viet missed a three-pointer from the corner.  The Panthers fouled Levi Dyer, who made both free throws to give the Redbirds a three-point advantage.

UNI's Grant Stout (New Sharon, Iowa) then missed a three, and the Panthers were forced to foul Dyer again, this time with five seconds left.  Panthers head coach Ben Jacobson then called three successive timeouts attempting to ice Dyer, and it worked, as he missed the front end of the one-and-one.  McKowen raced the ball upcourt and hit a three from the right wing as the horn sounded, tying the game at 59-all and sending the game into overtime.

In the extra session, Illinois State never trailed, but the Panthers had a chance to tie the game at the end.  A McKowen layup with eight seconds left made the score 66-64, and the Panthers fouled Eldridge.  After he made the first, he missed the second, and once again McKowen pushed the ball, but this time his three-pointer from 22 feet missed and UNI fell, 67-64.

UNI falls to 13-3 overall, 4-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play, while Illinois State improves to 9-7 and 1-4.  UNI returns home Friday night (Jan. 12) to host Creighton, with tipoff from the McLeod Center set for 7:35 p.m.