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Northern Iowa Panthers vs Creighton Bluejays Basketball RecapNorthern Iowa 71, Creighton 66
Suddenly, it’s still very possible that the darling of the Missouri Valley Conference – and one of the feel-good stories of the 2010 NCAA Tournament – could still be heard from before the regular season is over. A team with championship experience in America’s Heartland is making another move in its own mid-major backyard. Looking for a fifth straight home win in the friendly confines of the McLeod Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the Northern Iowa Panthers did exactly that by taking care of the struggling Creighton Bluejays in a 71-66 win on Wednesday night. The Panthers carved out a small but meaningful five-point lead at halftime and kept it throughout, as the Bluejays could never quite overcome them throughout a contentious second half, falling behind by as many as nine and struggling to get over the hump in the final minutes.
The Panthers got 26 points from Kwadzo Ahelegbe, who hit 10 of his 19 shots from the field. However, what was noteworthy about Ahelegbe’s effort was that the Northern Iowa point guard – the unquestioned spiritual leader on the team – scored many of his points when the game was in the balance. Creighton led 40-39 with 14:22 left in regulation, but it was then that Ahelegbe, a savvy upperclassman, took over. The floor general for UNI either scored or assisted on seven of his team’s next nine points, and in a heartbeat, the Panthers owned a 48-43 advantage with 12:52 left. Ahelegbe’s high-impact 90-second burst turned the tide in this tilt, as UNI prevented Creighton from making the counter-run that could have caused yet another pendulum swing.
Anthony James added 14 as the Panthers overcame being outshot (50 to 46 percent) and horribly out-rebounded (32-19 overall and 7-2 on the offensive glass) to eke out the win. Head coach Ben Jacobson's Northern Iowa team won its sixth straight game and in the process, moved to 7-3 in the Valley. By virtue of an Indiana State loss to Evansville earlier in the day, UNI moved into a tie for third place in the Missouri Valley Conference just two games behind league-leading Missouri State, which sits at 9-1. Yes indeed, Northern Iowa – the defending regular season and tournament champion in this part of the country, could still win its league again when it’s all said and done.
By: Matt Zemek |