HONOLULU — After being on the wrong side of a 16-point loss less than 24 hours earlier, Northern Iowa was chomping at the bit to take the floor again Wednesday night.
Paul Jesperson scored 18 points, Wes Washpun had 16 and Jeremy Morgan added 14 to help Northern Iowa beat Washington State 63-59 in a consolation semifinal of the Diamond Head Classic Wednesday night.
The Panthers (8-4) avoided their first back-to-back losses of the season despite being outrebounded 31-20. They bounced back from a 16-point loss to tournament-host Hawaii in Tuesday’s opening round.
“I think the guys were eager to come back, just because Hawaii forced us into some mistakes,” Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson said.