CEDAR FALLS (AP) — Klint Carlson scored 14 points with eight rebounds and Bennett Koch scored 12 points with eight boards as Northern Iowa eked out a low-scoring, wire-to-wire win over Southern Illinois 49-41 on Wednesday night.
Jeremy Morgan hit a 3-pointer, Koch added a pair of free throws, and Northern Iowa opened the second half with a 5-0 run to gain some separation as Southern Illinois missed its first three shots. The Panthers (12-12, 7-6 Missouri Valley Conference) led by as many as 11 after halftime.
Leo Vincent scored nine points to lead Southern Illinois (14-12, 7-6) and Sean O’Brien eight as the Salukis made only 30 percent of their shots (18-60).
Leo was 3-of-11 and O’Brien 4-of-14. Northern Iowa blocked four shots (Morgan with two), and had eight steals and 34 defensive rebounds to hamper Southern Illinois’ shooting.
The Panthers held a 41-35 edge on the boards overall.