MOLINE, Ill. — There are no style points in March. Only wins and losses. Northern Iowa will take the former after a grueling opening round in the MVC Tournament.
The No. 3 seed Panthers got all they could handle from No. 6 seed Southern Illinois. But UNI survived, 66-63, Friday night at TaxSlayer Center in Moline, Illinois. With the win, the Panthers (20-11) will face No. 2 seed Missouri State in Saturday's semifinal at 4 p.m.
After Taylor Hagen's layup gave UNI a 64-63 lead with 17 seconds remaining, Southern Illinois had three looks at a game-winning or game-tying bucket.