Southern Illinois Salukis @ Northern Iowa Panthers
Northern Iowa stays perfect at home with 64-52 win
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Austin Phyfe had 17 points, 18 rebounds and five assists to help lift Northern Iowa to a 64-52 win over Southern Illinois on Sunday, the Panthers' 15th consecutive home victory.
The Panthers (23-5, 12-4) have a one-game lead over Loyola Chicago in the Missouri Valley Conference with two games remaining. The Salukis (16-13, 10-6) dropped into a third-place tie with Bradley.
Isaiah Brown added 15 points for Northern Iowa (23-5, 12-4 Missouri Valley Conference).
Southern Illinois led 34-26 at halftime but scored a season-low 18 points in the second half when Northern Iowa used a 20-0 run to take control at 60-43 with four minutes left.
Barret Benson had 11 points for the Salukis (16-13, 10-6) as did Eric McGill. Lance Jones had 10 points.
The Panthers leveled the season series against the Salukis with the win. Southern Illinois defeated Northern Iowa 68-66 on Jan. 22.
Northern Iowa matches up against Evansville at home on Wednesday. Southern Illinois takes on Indiana State at home on Wednesday.
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Elements of this story were generated by Automated Insights, http://www.automatedinsights.com/ap, using data from STATS LLC, https://www.stats.com
Game Information
Cedar Falls, IA
Referee:Don Daily
Referee:James Durham
Referee:Brooks Wells
2025-26 Standings
| Missouri Valley ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont | 16-4 | - | 26-6 |
| Bradley | 13-7 | 3 | 21-13 |
| Illinois State | 12-8 | 4 | 23-13 |
| Murray State | 12-8 | 4 | 20-13 |
| UIC | 12-8 | 4 | 19-16 |
| Northern Iowa | 11-9 | 5 | 23-13 |
| Valparaiso | 11-9 | 5 | 18-15 |
| Southern Illinois | 10-10 | 6 | 16-16 |
| Drake | 6-14 | 10 | 14-20 |
| Indiana State | 4-16 | 12 | 11-21 |
| Evansville | 3-17 | 13 | 7-25 |
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