Loyola too much for UNI in MVC men’s basketball showdown

CHICAGO — Northern Iowa saw its five-game winning streak end Sunday afternoon, losing a Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball first-place showdown at Loyola Chicago, 85-58.

“They’ve got a terrific team,” Panthers Coach Ben Jacobson said. “They were really sharp with what they were doing. The ball movement and pace were very good.”

There were seven lead changes early in the contest. With the score tied 13-13, Loyola (19-5, 10-3) went on a 17-2 run, ignited by four 3-pointers, for a 30-15 advantage with 9:21 left until halftime.

Northern Iowa (14-10, 10-4) junior guard AJ Green broke the Ramblers streak with a driving layup.

Although Northern Iowa fell behind by as much as 18 points in the opening stanza, Green helped them claw back to within 47-35 at halftime. Green totaled a game-high 18 points in the first half with four 3-pointers, along with an array of drives and pull-up jumpers.

Defense had been the harbinger of the Panthers’ winning streak, allowing 60 points per game. However, Loyola sank 10 3-pointers in the opening 20 minutes.

“When they had any room from the 3-point line, they knocked them in, especially in those first eight, nine minutes,” Jacobson said.

Opening the second half, Loyola appeared to put the game out of reach. The Ramblers scored the first 11 points for a 58-35 lead. But the Panthers put together their own run of points, going on a 10-0 spurt to close to within 58-45. Freshman guard Bowen Born (eight points) started and ended the surge with 3-pointers.

In a game of streaks, though, Loyola put a definitive end to the outcome, registering a 12-0 spurt midway through the second half, for a comfortable 74-47 lead.

The Ramblers defense tightened against Green in the second half, limiting him to only two points, both free throws. He finished with a game-high 20 points.

“They were hitting their 3s tonight, which put us in a really tough spot in that first half,” Green said. “Second half they continued to do that. Sometimes, games like this happen.”

The only other Panther to score in double figures was senior guard Trae Berhow, who netted 10 points. Loyola had three players scoring in double digits, with senior guard Lucas Williamson leading the way with 18.

Loyola shot a blistering 63.6 percent from the field, including 14 of 27 from beyond the arc. Northern Iowa shot 40 percent from the field, with nine 3-pointers, only one of which came in the second half.

“Loyola did a good job of taking some things away from us (offensively),” Jacobson said. “We weren’t able to get more guys involved. That’s been a big key for us playing well since January (10-3).”

The last time Northern Iowa won at Loyola was in 2015.

Northern Iowa doesn’t have time to fret. Its next game is Tuesday in Normal, Ill., against the Illinois State Redbirds. The Panthers have four MVC games remaining, with the final regular-season game on Feb. 26, hosting Loyola.