Feb. 11, 2012
Box Score 
| Season Statistics
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - Northern Iowa used the three-point shot to post a 78-63 Missouri Valley Conference win over visiting Illinois State Saturday night at the McLeod Center. The Panthers collectively shot 12-for-21 (.571) from three-point range.
The loss was Illinois State's fifth-straight on the road and dropped the Redbirds to 16-10 overall and 8-7 in the Valley. Northern Iowa improved to 17-10 and 7-8, respectively.
UNI opened the second half on a 7-2 run and lifted its lead to 47-36, with 18:22 remaining. Illinois State cut the lead down to seven points, 49-42, on a jumper by Jon Ekey. However, the used a 6-0 spurt to push its lead to 61-46, with 9:26 left in the game. Northern Iowa led by as many as 17 points, while the Redbirds were never able to cut the deficit lower than 10.
Illinois State and Northern Iowa battled to seven ties and six lead changes in the first half, but the Panthers used a late 8-0 run to build a 34-30 lead with 4:06 left in the half. UNI held a 40-34 halftime lead, which was powered by the three ball. The Panthers shot 8-for-11 from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes, led by Seth Tuttle and Johnny Moran with 10 points apiece.
The Redbirds were led in the first half by Jackie Carmichael, who posted 10 points, but ISU also got a spark from its bench in Bryant Allen and Trey Blue. Allen collected nine first-half tallies, while Blue dropped in six points to fill the void of the injured Anthony Cousin, who was sidelined with an ankle injury.
Allen paced the Redbirds for the game with 17 points and Carmichael added 14. Tuttle led UNI with 17 points and Moran finished with 16.
Illinois State will continue its road swing Tuesday night, when the Redbirds travel to Indiana State. The game will be televised on the Illinois State Television Network and will be available on Comcast SportsNet Chicago Plus and ESPN3. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. CT.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
