Bennett Koch

Northern Iowa senior forward Bennett Koch scored 25 points and joined the 1,000 point club for the Panthers in a 68-63 road victory over the Valparaiso Crusaders on Tuesday at the Athletics-Recreation Center.

UNI (14-15 overall, 6-11 MVC) shot a season-best 55.3 percent from the field, while holding Valparaiso (14-16 overall, 5-12 MVC) to 46.0 percent from the floor.

Koch was a perfect 8-of-8 from the field and buried 9-of-14 free throws as he became the 42nd UNI Panther to score 1,000 career points.

UNI’s Spencer Haldeman drained a clutch three-pointer with :46.1 left to give the Panthers a six-point lead at 62-56. Haldeman added a free throw and Koch added two down the stretch to secure the five-point win.

UNI snapped an 11-game road losing streak with the triumph. UNI also secured either the No. 8 or No. 9 seed for the 2018 MVC Tournament held March 1-4 at Scottrade Center in St. Louis.