CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- After a tightly contested first half, UNI men's basketball took over the second period as the Panthers defeated the Illinois State Redbirds 79-64 on Saturday afternoon at the McLeod Center.
The Panthers improve to 11-9 and 7-3 in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play, while Illinois State falls to 10-12 with a 3-6 MVC mark.
UNI struggled early to find a shooting rhythm, but was able stay in the game with 12 first half free throws off of 12 Illinois State fouls and a strong rebounding presence on both offense and defense.