CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The University of Northern Iowa men’s basketball team rallied from a five-point deficit in the final seven minutes for a 76-66 triumph over the Drake University Bulldogs in the McLeod Center.
UNI (9-7 overall, 3-1 MVC) trailed Drake, 58-53, with 6:58 left in the game. UNI used a 21-5 run that saw six different Panthers score to close out the victory at home. UNI is now 6-0 at the McLeod Center this season.
Junior Nate Buss knocked down his first 3-pointer of the game with 5:22 left to begin the run. Drake’s Seth Van Deest made 1-of-2 free throws with 4:28 left to put Drake back up by three, 61-58. Then the Panthers’s highlight really got underway as sophomore Wes Washpun drove the lane for a layup. That was followed up by back-to-back 3-pointers from sophomore Matt Bohannon and Buss to put UNI up, 66-61, with 3:00 left.
Junior guard Deon Mitchell upped the margin to seven on a bucket with 2:13 left. Drake finally scored on a pair of free throws from Jordan Daniels with 1:55 left to pull within 68-63. But two more layups from Mitchell and Tuttle along with a free throw from Washpun gave UNI a double-figure lead at 74-63 with 41.3 left.
Mitchell and Washpun tied for team-high scoring honors with 17 each. Bohannon and Tuttle each chipped in with 11 points and Buss added 10 points off the bench.
Drake (10-6, 1-3 MVC) was led by Daniels with 18 points.
UNI will travel to Southern Illinois to take on the Salukis on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Carbondale, Ill.
