The underdog No. 6 seeded University of Northern Iowa overcame the No. 3 Southern Illinois University to a 61-58 victory at the last quarterfinal matchup on March 8 at Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
Northern Iowa maintained a lead for a majority of the game, but lost it when Southern Illinois guard Aaron Cook hit a three-pointer with 29.4 seconds left. The Panthers were saved when MVC Freshman of the Year A.J. Green hit a jumper and put the Panthers ahead.
The Panthers were lead by veteran players senior guard Wyatt Lohaus and sophomore guard Trae Berhow, who scored 21 and 11 points, respectively.