CEDAR FALLS (AP) — Northern Iowa’s reserves outscored its starters yet again, and that’s a good sign for the Panthers with Missouri Valley Conference play on the horizon.
Nate Buss scored 14 points off the bench and 23rd-ranked Northern Iowa closed out non-conference play with a 74-63 Sunday win over South Dakota State.
Wes Washpun had 12 points and Seth Tuttle scored 11 for the Panthers (11-1), who got 45 points from their substitutes.
Northern Iowa took control with a 13-0 run late in the first half. The Panthers let the Jackrabbits close to within five with 6:11 left before putting them away late to improve to 6-0 at home.
“They’ve been good all year. I think we’ve got one of the best benches in the country,” Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson said.
George Marshall had 16 to lead South Dakota State (9-5), which dropped its second straight game against a Top 25 opponent. The Jackrabbits were beaten by No. 14 Utah 80-66 on Tuesday.
Sunday’s game was the first for Northern Iowa at home as a ranked team since 2010, a season highlighted by their memorable NCAA tournament win over top-seeded Kansas.
Time will tell if these Panthers can match that team, which won both the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles.
But they’re certainly off to a good start.
Northern Iowa has three double-digit wins over Power 5 opponents (Virginia Tech, Northwestern and Iowa), and its only loss came in double overtime at VCU.
The Panthers wrapped up the non-league portion of their schedule by showing off the depth that’s made them so tough so far.
Ten players scored for the Panthers, including eight in the first half alone, and their bench has either matched or surpassed the point total for the starting five in three of their last four games.
Still, South Dakota State got its deficit down to 60-55 on back-to-back treys by Reed Tellinghuisen. But backup forward Buss answered with a triple, and Tuttle found Washpun underneath for a layup that pushed UNI back in front 65-55.
Paul Jesperson had 10 points for the Panthers, who shot 58 percent from the field.