Poor first half dooms UNI

ST. LOUIS - It was a tale of two halves for Northern Iowa last night as the Panthers lost to Southern Illinois, 63-58, despite a 28-9 run in the second half of a quarterfinal game in the Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament.

UNI trailed by as many as 19 points in the second half after trailing 36-18 at halftime, but was able to tie the game with just over three minutes left on two Seth Tuttle free throws, 52-52.

Tuttle finished the game with 15 points, 17 rebounds and four assists.

SIU's Desmar Jackson outscored the Panthers by himself in the first half, accounting for 20 of his team's 36 first-half points. The Saluki's led UNI 36-18 at halftime after the Panthers shot just 21 percent in the first 20 minutes.

It's the fourth straight season the Panthers have not advanced past the quarterfinals in this tournament.