TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Indiana State Sycamores led from the opening tip and held off the University of Northern Iowa men’s basketball team with a 59-54 triumph in the Hulman Center.
UNI freshman Seth Tuttle scored a career-high 22 points and added six rebounds as the Panthers dropped to 14-8 overall and 4-6 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Indiana State (12-9 overall, 3-7 MVC) used 17 points from Carl Richard to earn the win.
The Sycamores opened up a 14-point lead in the first half at 23-9 with 7:45 left before intermission. UNI trimmed the lead to 33-26 at the half.
UNI continued to cut the lead and pulled to within 49-46 with 6;34 left in the game. UNI looked to cut the lead to two points on a Marc Sonnen putback with 1:21 left in the game, but official Bob Staffen waved it off and called an offensive foul. UNI would not get to within one possession in the final 1:21 after the charge call.
“We didn’t play well enough early and Indiana State did,” UNI head coach Ben Jacobson said. “Carl Richard had a good game and helped them get off to that good start. We’ve been making little mistakes in games and those mistakes cost us tonight.”
UNI will travel to Missouri State on Saturday. Tip is slated for 4 p.m. at JQH Arena.
NOTES: UNI’s Marc Sonnen drained a 3-pointer in his 16th straight game … it’s the first MVC game this season that UNI did not lead … Indiana State out-rebounded UNI, 27-21.
