MOLINE, Ill. — Stuck in a sizable hole after a lackluster first half, Northern Iowa tried its best to chip away. But this deficit was too large to overcome.
Despite chiseling Missouri State’s 15-point halftime lead down to six midway through the third quarter, the Panthers ultimately ran out of fuel down the stretch. The Bears advanced to Sunday’s title game with an 89-64 win in Saturday’s MVC Tournament semifinal at TaxSlayer Center.
UNI (20-12) was shooting for its fourth straight championship game appearance. Instead, it’ll be Missouri State (22-9) that gets another shot against top-seeded Drake at 2 p.