Community Picks: Northern Iowa 0% vs Wichita State 0%

Northern Iowa senior Wes Washpun blew by Evansville guard Jaylon Brown with five minutes remaining in a Missouri Valley Conference game Wednesday night and saw a lot of open floor between him and the basket. What came next was a thing of beauty, unless, of course, you're an Evansville fan. Washpun accelerated into the middle of the lane as he saw 6-foot-10 center Egidijus Mockevicius moving in to protect the rim. Washpun leaped and threw down a fantastic, hard, one-handed jam to give his team a one-point lead in a tight game. [ Slain Mercer player had heartbreaking bond with 7-year-old girl ] The dunk provided Washpun two of the 14 points he scored to lead Northern Iowa to a 57-54 victory, but it wasn't the most important drive to the basket of the night for him. That came in the final minute when he drove for a layup with 27 seconds remaining that put his team on top for good. The Panthers have fallen off badly since knocking off a pair of top-five ranked teams earlier in the season. The win Wednesday moved them to 13-11 overall and 5-6 in conference play. We're guessing this one is going to make the highlight reel for the team banquet at the end of the year no matter where Washpun and his teammates go from here. - - - - - - - [ Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo Continue to Article

February 03, 2016 10:43:pm EST

CEDER FALLS, Iowa (AP) -- Bennett Koch scored 22 points with 11 rebounds - both career highs - and Northern Iowa knocked off Southern Illinois 67-58 on Sunday. Continue to Article

January 31, 2016 6:31:pm EST

PEORIA, Ill. (AP) -- Paul Jesperson hit 8 3-pointers and scored 28 points - both career highs - and Northern Iowa limited Bradley to just 18 second-half points as the Panthers took a 68-50 victory Wednesday night. Continue to Article

January 27, 2016 11:53:pm EST

Remember back in the third week of December when Northern Iowa earned its second victory of the season over a top-five ranked team and everyone believed the Panthers might be in the midst of a special season? Sure, it's probably too early to rule out that special season becoming a reality, but something isn't right with UNI of late. The Panthers don't look like the same team that upset North Carolina and Iowa State. They're certainly heading in the wrong direction after losing in the final seconds Wednesday night 59-58 to a Missouri State team which secured just its fifth win of the season when Dequon Miller's driving layup kissed off the glass and dropped through the net. [ Mike Hopkins should not be judged off his bumpy nine-game stint ] It's amazing to think that a Missouri Valley League team with a pair of milestone wins in the same season might allow those victories to go to waste because of some really ugly losses. The Panthers haven't put together a winning streak since November and have lost three of their past four games and four of the past six, including a loss to Hawaii at the Diamond Head Classic just before Christmas. Just a week ago, Northern Iowa set a school record for the largest margin of victory in a Missouri Valley game when it beat Bradley by 36 points. But then it followed that effort up by losing at Southern Illinois and Missouri State. Chris Kendrix led Missouri State with 17 points on Wednesday. Obediah Church had 10 and Miller finished with seven. UNI made 11 of 24 3-pointers and guards Matt Bohannon and Wes Washpun each scored 15 points. [ Ohio State coach Thad Matta imitates Stanford bro during interview ] The Panthers have won 13-straight conference home games and figure to get back on the winning side of the ledger this weekend when they host Drake, but at this point it's difficult to predict what the Panthers might do from game to game. - - - - - - - [ Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo Continue to Article

January 06, 2016 11:25:pm EST

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- Dequon Miller's layup with five seconds left lifted Missouri State to a 59-58 victory over Northern Iowa on Wednesday night, snapping the Bears' four-game losing streak. Continue to Article

January 06, 2016 10:53:pm EST