UNI tops North Dakota in CIT first round game

UNI (19-14 overall) used a game-high 24 points from senior guard Anthony James. Marc Sonnen drilled five three-pointers and scored 19 points for the Panthers. Sophomore forward Seth Tuttle also tallied 19 points.

UNI led from start to finish after opeing up a 7-0 lead just 2:04 into the game. UNI pushed the margin to 10-2 after Sonnen’s second 3-pointer of the game wiht 16:35 on the clock. North Dakota cut the lead to 14-13 on a dunk from Huff with 13:07 left in the first half.

UNI went on a 9-0 run to take a 23-13 lead with 10:25 left. The run was capped by a Jake Koch 3-pointer. The Panthers closed the half on 10-2 run to take a 41-28 lead at the intermission.

UNI added to the lead and pushed the margin to 19 at 49-30 with 14:45 left in the second half. Altogether, the Panthers went on an 18-4 run to turn a 31-26 lead into the 19-point lead. North Dakota (16-17 overall) would get as close as nine points at 66-57 and 75-66 but could not trim the margin any closer.

UNI will play its second round game in the CIT on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the McLeod Center. The opponent is to be determined.