Missouri State dropped its sixth game in a row in Cedar Falls, 78-64, to Northern Iowa, despite 16 points and six rebounds from senior Chris Cooks and 12 points from classmate Wade Knapp.
The Bears (7-9, 0-5) also dropped their fifth straight Missouri Valley Conference game and fell behind early as the homestanding Panthers missed just four shots in the first half on 18-of-22 (.818) shooting. UNI (10-6, 4–1) led 41-27 at halftime) and had four players in double figures.
The Bears chipped away in the second half, showing a needed sense of urgency out of the gates as Knapp scored the Bears’ first eight in the second period. Will Creekmore’s three-pointer with 16:41 left in the game then cut the deficit to 45-38 and capped an 11-4 MSU run.
Northern Iowa responded with a 12-6 run of its own over the next five minutes to recapture a double-figure advantage, 57-44, and never looked back.
Shane Laurie matched a career high with three three-pointers for the Bears as he finished with 9 points. MSU was led in rebounding by Isaiah Rhine who played just 14 minutes and had seven rebounds. Cuonzo Martin’s team outrebounded the Panthers, 27-26, to win its fifth rebounding battle in six contests.
UNI was led by Adam Koch’s 22 points and 11 rebounds on 7-of-8 shooting. Jordan Eglseder added 16, also on 7-for-8, as the Panthers finished the game with a 70.5 shooting percentage (31-for-44), including 6-for-12 from three.
The Bears have now matched a school record for consecutive losses in a season with six, and return home Wednesday night at 7:05 to host Wichita State in MVC play.
Story courtesy Missouri State Athletics
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