Northern Iowa rallies to clip Iowa State 63-60

AMES (AP) - Northern Iowa made a major statement on Wednesday night, showing that it's more than ready to make another run at an NCAA tournament bid.

Iowa State couldn't make plays in the closing minutes, raising questions about how close the Cyclones are to doing the same.

Ali Farokhmanesh buried a 3-pointer with 36 seconds left and Northern Iowa rallied to beat host Iowa State 63-60 for its third win in four tries against former Panthers coach Greg McDermott.

Adam Koch and Jordan Eglseder each had 20 points to lead the Panthers (5-1), who have won four straight overall.

Northern Iowa, which rolled to the Missouri Valley's regular season and tournament titles last season, held Iowa State scoreless for the final 6:21 and kept Cyclones star Craig Brackins from hitting a field goal in the second half.

The Panthers have already beaten a pair of major conference teams in Boston College and Iowa State heading into next week's home game against scuffling Iowa.

"The positive experiences we had last year certainly played a role," said Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson, a former assistant who took over for McDermott four years ago. "The guys have a real trust for each other. They've got a lot of confidence in their abilities, but mostly the abilities of the team."

Farokhmanesh's late 3-pointer put Northern Iowa ahead 61-59, and Kwadzo Ahelegbe's free throws made it 63-60 with 15 seconds left.

Iowa State had a chance to send the game into overtime, but it never got the shot it wanted. Lucca Staiger missed a long 3-pointer and, after a timeout, the Cyclones went to Brackins. But he was their final option on that play, and he missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

"Northern Iowa was really the tougher team, and that's disheartening," said McDermott.

Diante Garrett had 15 points to lead the Cyclones (6-2), who have lost twice after a 6-0 start. Brackins had 13 points and nine rebounds, but he took just four shots in the second half and didn't hit any of them.

"We threw a lot of different looks at him. He's going to hit some tough shots no matter what," Koch said of Brackins. "We just tried to change it up on him."

Both teams had trouble scoring in the final four minutes until Farokhmanesh's crucial 23-footer put the Panthers ahead. The Cyclones' LaRon Dendy, not known as much of a perimeter shooter, set up Farokhmanesh's 3 by putting up an airball on an open jumper on the other end.

Garrett had a chance to tie the game with 16 seconds left, but he missed the first of two free throws and Iowa State was forced to send Ahelegbe to the line.

Northern Iowa opened the second half on a 12-4 run, punctuated by 3-pointers from Adam Koch and Ali Farokhmanesh, to retake the lead, 43-40. Garrett and Scott Christopherson responded with quick 3s to put the Cyclones back on top, 46-43, with 13:58 left.

Iowa State maintained a slim lead - despite Brackins' offensive struggles - until Eglseder's putback put the Panthers back ahead 58-57 with 4:09 left.

Eglseder, a 7-foot-1 senior center who has always seemed on the cusp of putting it all together, set season bests in points and with 14 rebounds - seven of which came on offense.

"Tonight was a big step forward for him, a really good step forward for him," Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson said.

Iowa State held Northern Iowa to just 1-of-7 shooting from 3-point range and one assist in the first half, and Garrett's runner just before the halftime buzzer gave the Cyclones a 36-31 lead.

The Panthers stayed close by grabbing 10 offensive rebounds in the half, including five by Eglseder.

A Cyclones official said reserve forward L.A. Pomlee was out for Wednesday night's game because of a violation of team policy. Iowa State also lost senior forward Jamie Vanderbeken to a leg injury in the second half.

The Cyclones now travel to face California on Saturday, needing a much better showing to stop a skid that has followed their most impressive start under McDermott.

"This team doesn't know how to win yet," McDermott said.