Panthers advance to finals in Cancun

Northern Iowa Panthers Coach Ben Jacobson may have a serious Missouri Valley Conference contender on his hands.

After upsetting Stephen F. Austin on the road a week ago, the Panthers team cruised past the Virginia Tech Hokies 73-54 last night in the Riviera Division of the Cancun Challenge.

Northern Iowa finished with four players in double-figures, led in scoring by guard Matt Bohannon, who had 13 points. Forward Marvin Singleton finished the night with 10 points and nine rebounds, and forward Seth Tuttle added 11 points.

The win guaranteed Northern Iowa (5-0) a spot in tonight's championship round of the Cancun Challenge, and they will face Northwestern, who beat Miami of Ohio, 55-46.

The Panthers are 5-0 for the first time in Jacobson's nine seasons as the head coach.

Northern Iowa's veteran roster launched a balanced attack that confused and frustrated the Hokies. Tech struggled to defend the perimeter in the first half, which led to dribble-drive opportunities and open lanes for the Panthers in the second half.

'Offensively we knew we were going to have to handle their pressure,” Jacobson said. 'I thought our guards and Tuttle did a very good job of forcing some help and finding the right guy.”

In that second half, the Panthers put together a 17-2 run that ultimately put the Hokies away for good.

Tech fell to 2-2.