CEDAR FALLS (AP) — Bennett Koch scored 21 points and Northern Iowa defeated Chicago State 82-44 on Saturday.
Koch, who was perfect from the field in scoring a career-high 25 points in Northern Iowa’s previous game, a 72-43 victory over Wartburg, was 7-of-9 from the field and made all seven of his free throws against the Cougars (1-4).
Freshman Tywhon Pickford pulled down 14 rebounds, his third straight game of double digits on the boards for the Panthers (3-1). Juwan McCloud added 18 points and Klint Carlson chipped in 12 points with seven rebounds.
The Cougars were led by Travon Bell, who had 12 points off the bench.
The Panthers opened the game on a 13-0 run with five points from McCloud, and scored 17 straight points, with eight points from McCloud, toward the end of the half for a 46-21 lead. Their second-half lead never dipped below 22 points.