CANCUN, Mexico (AP) — Seth Tuttle scored 19 points and Northern Iowa beat Northwestern 61-42 to claim the Cancun Challenge championship.
Nate Buss added 11 points, including three 3-pointers, as the Panthers (6-0) posted their 11th win all-time against a Big Ten team.
The Panthers also knocked off two major conference schools by double-digits in back-to-back games for the first time in school history.
They beat Virginia Tech 73-54 to reach the Cancun Challenge title game.
Northwestern (5-1) took an 18-14 lead at 10:14 of the first half after a layup and 3-pointer by Alex Olah, but Northern Iowa went on a 17-2 run to close the half, including a pair of treys by Buss, to lead 31-20 at the break. The Panthers were 14-of-24 (58 percent) from the floor before intermission and 48 percent overall.
Tuttle was named the MVP of the Cancun Challenge. Wes Washpun also landed on the All-Tournament team.
The Wildcats got it to 10 with 11:05 left, but a pair of free throws and a dunk by Tuttle pushed it back to 16.
Bryant McIntosh led Northwestern with 13 points. The Wildcats shot just 30 percent (16 of 53) and were 5-of-21 beyond the arc.
This was the first meeting between the two teams.
Northern Iowa forward Marvin Singleton had nine rebounds and has recorded at least six rebounds in each game to lead the team on the glass.
The Panthers out-rebounded Northwestern, 36-28.
This is the second time Northern Iowa has started a season 6-0 since moving to Division I, matching its record in the 1999-2000 season.