| 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|
| VAL | 21 | 55 | 76 |
| UNI | 32 | 49 | 81 |
Northern Iowa gets 1st MVC win, holds off Valparaiso, 81-76
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Tywhon Pickford and Austin Phyfe combined to score 43 points and Northern Iowa held off Valparaiso late, 81-76 to earn its first Missouri Valley Conference victory on Saturday night.
Northern Iowa now has won 23 of the 25 meetings between the schools.
The Panthers took a 32-21 lead after a half and Phyfe converted a three-point play and a layup to push the lead to 23 points, 46-23 five minutes into the second period. Northern Iowa maintained a 20-point advantage for the next 10 minutes before the Crusaders finally managed to cut the deficit to single digits on a Micah Bradford jumper with 2:37 left to make it 71-62.
Max Joseph hit a layup and Markus Golder hit a 3 to get the deficit to five points, 74-69, but the Panthers (9-9, 1-5) hit 6 of 8 from the line to seal the win.
Pickford was 6 of 6 shooting from the field, hitting all 4 of his 3-point attempts, and finished with 23 points. Phyfe was 6 of 7 from the floor and 8 for 8 from the line to add 20.
Bakari Evelyn and Golder finished with 19 and 18 points, respectively, to lead Valparaiso (11-8, 2-4).
Game Information
- Referees:
- David Stevens
- Brad Ferrie
- Tom Fitzgerald
2024-25 Missouri Valley Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana State | 2-0 | - | 8-4 |
| Drake | 1-0 | 0.5 | 11-0 |
| Bradley | 1-0 | 0.5 | 10-2 |
| Belmont | 1-0 | 0.5 | 9-3 |
| Northern Iowa | 1-0 | 0.5 | 7-5 |
| Murray State | 1-1 | 1 | 6-5 |
| Illinois State | 0-1 | 1.5 | 8-4 |
| UIC | 0-1 | 1.5 | 7-4 |
| Missouri State | 0-1 | 1.5 | 7-5 |
| Valparaiso | 0-1 | 1.5 | 7-5 |
| Southern Illinois | 0-1 | 1.5 | 5-7 |
| Evansville | 0-1 | 1.5 | 3-9 |
Men's College Basketball News