Penn, Drake light up MVP champ N Iowa in quarters 77-56
ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Roman Penn scored a career-high 26 points, including 12 straight to start a game-breaking 18-0 run midway through the second half, and eighth-seeded Drake shocked Missouri Valley Conference champion Northern Iowa 77-56 in a quarterfinal game on Friday.
The Bulldogs shot 59% and led by as many as 16 before settling for a 43-33 halftime lead. The top-seeded Panthers battled back and three times Austin Phyfe pulled them within two, the last time at 50-48 with 12:36 to play.
Shortly after that, Penn went to work. It started with a pair of free throws at the 10:50 mark. He followed up with a couple of layups and a pair of 3-pointers. After teammate Liam Robbins scored inside, Penn hit another jumper and Garrett Sturtz capped the 18-0 run with a pair of free throws for a 67-48 lead with 2:28 to play.
Drake (20-13), which reached 20 wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1971, faces fourth-seeded Bradley in the semifinals on Saturday.
Isaiah Brown's 3-pointer with 2:21 remaining ended Northern Iowa's drought that featured 11 empty possessions with 10 missed shots, a missed front end of a one-and-one and two turnovers after offensive rebounds.
Penn, a 5-foot-11 guard, also had eight rebounds and eight assists. Robbins added 17 points with nine rebounds and four blocks.
Northern Iowa (25-6), which won the first meeting at home 83-73, was led by AJ Green with 19 points, although he was just 8-of-25 shooting. Trae Berhow, who averages more than 13 points, was scoreless. The Panthers were 5 of 25 from distance and shot 31% overall.
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Game Information
- Referees:
- Rick Crawford
- Kelly Self
- Antinio Petty
2023-24 Missouri Valley Conference Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
---|---|---|---|
Indiana State | 17-3 | - | 32-7 |
Drake | 16-4 | 1 | 28-7 |
Bradley | 13-7 | 4 | 23-12 |
Belmont | 12-8 | 5 | 20-13 |
Northern Iowa | 12-8 | 5 | 19-14 |
Southern Illinois | 11-9 | 6 | 19-13 |
Illinois State | 9-11 | 8 | 15-17 |
Murray State | 9-11 | 8 | 12-20 |
Missouri State | 8-12 | 9 | 17-16 |
Evansville | 6-14 | 11 | 17-18 |
UIC | 4-16 | 13 | 12-21 |
Valparaiso | 3-17 | 14 | 7-25 |