UNI falls to Louisville

SEATTLE — Northern Iowa's dream of a season ended in nightmare fashion last night in a 66-53 loss to Louisville in an NCAA tournament third-round game at KeyArena.

The Panthers (31-4), which set a school record for most victories, struggled against the Cardinals' swarming defense. The Panthers had 10 turnovers and just two steals. UNI shot just 39.1 percent.

Louisville slumped most of the season on offense and ranked 212th nationally in shooting percentage. Yet, the Cardinals were productive offensively, shooting 45.8 percent.

In a crucial stretch early in the second half, Louisville matched UNI basket-for-basket. After trailing by nine at halftime, UNI scored on four consecutive possessions, including a 3-pointer from Matt Bohannon, but could trim Louisville's lead to just six points. The Cardinals scored on five of their first eight shots to open the half and led by 12.

The Panthers fought back with consecutive baskets by Paul Jesperson and Nate Buss, bringing UNI within eight. Then Buss hit a turnaround jumper with 4:24 left to cut the deficit to six points.

On a key sequence, UNI's Jeremy Morgan stole the ball at midcourt and raced for the basket. He passed the ball to Wes Washpun, whose shot was blocked at the rim. Then Louisville raced down the court and Montrezl Harrell finished with a dunk to go ahead 57-49 with 3:29 left.

Northern Iowa led early 13-10 after a Paul Jesperson 3-pointer with 12:38 left in the first half. Then Louisville stormed to a 7-0 run, highlighted by a jumper from Terry Rozier, a dunk from Montrezl Harrell and capped by a 3-pointers from Wayne Blackshear.

The Panthers pulled with one at 17-16 on a three-point play by Deon Mitchell. Then the Cardinals gradually pushed farther ahead and led 36-27 at halftime.

In his final game as a Panther, second-team All-American Seth Tuttle led UNI with 14 points. Buss added 11 and Jesperson chipped in with 10.

Louisville point guard Terry Rozier scored 25 points and had seven assists.

Bohannon started for the Panthers just two days after surgery on his left index finger. He played 29 minutes and scored six points.

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