The Salukis took on the Northern Iowa Panthers in Cedar Falls, Iowa on January 7th in a highly anticipated Missouri Valley Conference game. The Dawgs currently sit just behind the Indiana State Sycamores for atop the conference, with UNI not far behind.

The road environment would inevitably be too much for SIU, as they lost by double-digits, 69-57. Senior Marcus Domask was held to just eight points in the contest.

It was Northern Iowa that struck gold first, with a three-point basket from sophomore guard Bowen Born less than a minute into the game. By the first media timeout of the game, the Panthers held a 7-3 lead over the Dawgs.

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It was all Panthers during the first ten minutes of the first half. Every time Southern Illinois at attempted to muster up a run, UNI would stomp it out with a run of their own.

It was only in the final seven minutes of the first half in which the Salukis would get their act together on offense, keeping the score within a 10-point differential. Both teams headed to the tunnel with a halftime score of 35-29, a Panther lead.

UNI’s plan out of the break was to eliminate any hope of an SIU comeback, that much was clear. The Northern Iowa defense clamped up the Southern Illinois offense, while giving the Dawgs points on the other end. The Panther lead extended to over double-digits once again.

At a pivotal moment in the game, with just over ten minutes left in the game, senior Lance Jones helped SIU climb themselves back into the game. The Salukis weren’t dead quite yet.

With 10:25 left in the second half, SIU was only down 47-42.

After yet another answer by the Panthers, Southern Illinois responded with their best basketball of the afternoon, cutting the lead to just two points with 3:22 left in the game, 58-56.

It was anyone’s game at this point, but the home team was the program that rose to the occasion. After this impressive spurt from the Dawgs, UNI went on a 11-2 run to close the game.

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This left the final score at 69-57, enough for an impressive Northern Iowa win.

Jones was the Salukis’ most outstanding player in this matchup. Along with leading the second half comeback, he scored a team-high 17 points along with two steals.

The Salukis will play their next game at Indiana State on Wednesday, January 11. The Sycamores are currently number one in the MVC, and defeated the Salukis in the Banterra Center in their last contest.

Assistant Sports Editor Cole Daily can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at cdaily_de

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