On a night in which a blizzard covered the eastern portion of the state, cold shooting doomed the Iowa men’s basketball team at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls on Tuesday.
Thanks to an eye-popping 22-1 run in the first half, Northern Iowa picked up its first win over Iowa since the 2005-06 season, 67-50. The loss dropped Iowa to 3-6 overall; Northern Iowa, which was the preseason favorite to win the Missouri Valley this season after reaching the NCAA Tournament last year, moves to 6-1.
The contest seemed as if it would go the Hawkeyes’ way early on, with sophomores Matt Gatens and Anthony Tucker each knocking down 3-pointers early to give Iowa a 6-2 lead. But the game became one-sided afterward.
Northern Iowa took its first lead after the first media time-out and didn’t look back. In a matter of minutes, the Panthers went from trailing by four to leading the Hawkeyes, 24-7.
To Iowa’s credit, the Hawkeyes battled and cut the Panther lead to six points early in the second half at 39-33. But turnovers and missed opportunities plagued the Hawkeyes at the worst possible times.
“We had spurts,” Iowa associate head coach Chad Walthall said in a postgame radio interview with the Hawkeye Radio Network. “Our guys, at times, really fought to get back into it, getting over the top, and my hat’s off to UNI.”
One of the few bright spots for Iowa on the night was Gatens, who led the Hawkeyes with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Iowa also got strong outings from Tucker and freshman guard Cully Payne, both of whom finished with nine points.
The three each played more than 30 minutes on Tuesday.
The Panthers were led by junior Kwadzo Ahalegbe, who finished with 20 points, and Northern Iowa’s dominant inside duo of seniors Adam Koch and Jordan Eglseder each dropped 10 points on a combined 8-of-16 shooting from the field.
Even more impressive, the Panthers only had five turnovers to the Hawkeyes’ 16 giveaways.
“We stopped taking care of the ball and doing what was working,” Gatens said in a postgame radio interview. “When we’re not getting stops, it’s tough to make runs.
“Our offense, I thought, was there tonight, but making more stops and taking care of the ball is the main emphasis we’re going to take out of this.”
Iowa will return to the road again on Friday to face Iowa State. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Hilton Coliseum.
Lickliter update
Before the Hawkeyes and Panthers game in Cedar Falls, Iowa head coach Todd Lickliter revealed what caused him severe headaches that eventually led to a medical procedure over the weekend.
Lickliter underwent a stenting in his carotid artery, where doctors at the UI Hospitals and Clinics had discovered the beginning of a tear after he had informed them of symptoms.
The carotid artery allows blood to circulate to the head and brain.
While Lickliter continues to recover, Walthall will remain in charge of the head-coach duties.
“I love the game, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to coach basketball and to be the head coach at Iowa,” Lickliter said in a pregame radio interview. “But at the same time, your health has to take precedent over everything. I hope everyone will pay attention to the way they feel and follow up.
“I had bad headaches and a few other symptoms. The physicians were well in tune.”