UNI’s mascot.
The University of Northern Iowa men’s basketball team captured the 2015 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship with a 69-60 victory over the Illinois State Redbirds at Scottrade Center.
Illinois State jumped out quickly on the Panthers and built a 33-15 lead. UNI struggled from the floor early and went through a 2-for-20 shooting slump at one point.
UNI shot 23.3 percent in the first half and trailed 36-22 at the half. But the Panthers who are now 30-3 overall, used a 32-7 run to turn an 18-point deficit into a 7-point lead at 47-40. The Redbirds tied it again at 47-47 on a 3-pointer from Deontae Hawkins with 8:07
The Panthers were led in scoring by Seth Tuttle and Nate Buss, who each tallied 15 points. Tuttle also added nine rebounds and three assists.