Koch's comeback carries UNI to fifth straight win

CEDAR FALLS — With 18:53 left Wednesday night, Northern Iowa forward Bennett Koch picked up his fourth foul. In most other situations, that likely would've been basically it for the game for Koch, who has had foul trouble more often than not this season.

The sophomore sat for the next 7:52 of game time, during which the Panthers went from up 14 to only up three. The Koch that came back in with 11:01, though, proved to be one UNI coaches and fans had been waiting for. He scored 10 points over the next 6:30, threw down two frustration-releasing dunks, and led his team to a convincing 83-69 victory over Missouri State.

It might've just been the watermark for Koch going forward — even if he did foul out on a technical after the tip-slam that gave him his 19th and final point.

'That five-minute stretch is great for him. That could turn out to be big for him, to help him, again, understand his ability to dominate a game — in stretches or for long stretches,' said Coach Ben Jacobson. 'This just helps him understand that.

'I wanted to get Ben back in there. The way we were playing offensively, we didn't have as much going offensively as we did in the first half. I wanted him back in there and felt like we had waited as long as we could.'

Koch's return to the game — with the Panthers (15-11, 7-6 Missouri Valley Conference) leading, 61-58 — set off an 11-0 run, of which he had four, plus a pair of rebounds.

But it wasn't until he threw down a monstrous dunk with 5:14 to go that everyone really took notice. Koch, a soft-spoken young man, hasn't been known to let out much emotion on the court — especially by way of throwing it down.

Even the technical — which came after a tip-slam that was just as emphatic — was a show of emotion rarely seen, as he bumped into a Missouri State (10-15, 6-7) player. Though he'd have liked to have seen Koch play the rest of the game, Jacobson was more than happy to see Koch express himself as he did.

'What was maybe a little more or a little different tonight was the emotion he showed in that stretch in the second half, and that was awesome. That was different,' Jacobson said. 'Four fouls on Saturday and (five) fouls tonight, he obviously was a little bit frustrated. But he brought some emotion forward. That was good.'

For his part, Koch said his 19-point, four-rebound performance was spurred mostly by his teammates and coaches on the bench while he sat with those fouls.

His history of getting down on himself is well-documented, but a well-meaning earful from teammates and assistant coach Kyle Green kept his spirits up. The determination to make up for some lost time didn't hurt, either.

'I think I had a bum first half, and my teammates did a good job of picking me up. I came out ready to play (with four fouls),' Koch said. 'The thing that helps me the most is the guys on the bench talking to me, telling me to keep my head up. Coach Green does a really good job of nagging on me and making sure I keep my head up.'

UNI got its fifth straight win, and a little vengeance against Missouri State, which beat the Panthers, 59-58, on Jan. 6. In that game, UNI had a 10-point lead it let slip away. A repeat looked possible before Koch's return, but the Panthers pulled together in a way they hadn't been able to do before this streak.

Jeremy Morgan led UNI with 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists, Matt Bohannon crossed the 1,000-point barrier for his career with 19 points of his own on 4 of 8 shooting from deep, and Wes Washpun had 11 points and nine assists.

Another strong offensive performance sets the Panthers up for a trip to Wichita, Kan., and a meeting with the No. 24 Shockers.

'I don't know (if we could've done that a few weeks ago). We didn't at their place,' Jacobson said. 'We couldn't finish that off. Tonight we went the other way when it got to three. The guys made plays and found a way to finish it off.

'Our guys will prepare well (for Wichita State) and we'll go down there and put our best foot forward. That's the way college basketball should be played (at Koch Arena). It's an awesome environment.'

BOHANNON GETS 1,000TH POINT

UNI was already well aware of the mark Matt Bohannon has left on its program, but the Linn-Mar grad added another superlative to his career Wednesday night, as his 19 points carried him to 1,005 for his career.

He became the 39th player in UNI history to cross the 1,000-point threshold, and afterward he reflected on the milestone as a mark mostly of time.

'A lot of time (is what it means). I've been here for a while,' Bohannon said with a laugh after UNI's win. 'It means a lot. It means a great deal to the program and shows if you put in the hard work and the time and play for your teammates and do all the little things, good things happen. … It kind of puts a cap on the whole season and makes me think about how long I've been here and the great moments I've been a part of.

'I don't really set out too many individual goals. I'm more of a team-first guy and as long as we win, I'm happy. I don't think it was ever on my radar until after last season — I knew I was pretty close. To make it happen is cool, and it's a pretty special feeling.'

Bohannon averaged 9.9 points his sophomore year, but dipped to 5.7 per game last season as the offense shifted to work more through Seth Tuttle and at a slower pace.

He's up to 12.6 per game this season, and Jacobson said his willingness to work through a season like last year — where his usage on offense dropped — and come back like this says as much about the person as the player.

'To come back last year and not get as many shots, average five or six a game — all of those things, to add up to 1,000 and get him into that club anyway, and continue to put in the work regardless of situation tells you what he's about,' Jacobson said. 'It's awesome for our program. He's one of a select few guys who have put in that much time. We've had a lot of guys who have put in a lot of time, but he's in that top group. For our program, that means a lot. I'm really proud of him.'

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