Panthers run win streak to five with win over Drake

CEDAR FALLS - The University of Northern Iowa men's basketball team sprinted to a 69-49 win over intrastate rival Drake last night at the McLeod Center, their fifth consecutive win in Missouri Valley Conference competition.

Panther senior Kwadzo Ahelegbe scored a game-high 16 points, while freshman Chip Rank added a career high 14, including four 3-point baskets Johnny Moran added 14 for the Panthers (14-6 overall, 6-3 MVC).

Seth VanDeest, who missed Drake's last game with an ankle injury, led the Bulldogs with 10 points and added six rebounds. Rayvonte Rice added 10 points for the Bulldogs (8-12, 3-6).

The Panthers, playing in front of a sellout crowd of 7,018 fans, weathered a 5-0 Bulldog run to begin the contest. After Anthony James connected on a conventional three-point play to knot the game at five, the Panthers went on a 13-4 run, eventually taking an 18-11 lead into the first media timeout.

“They made their run in the first half and we didn't respond,” Drake Coach Mark Phelps said. “They hit shots tonight ... they really knocked it down.”

Northern Iowa captured its first double-digit lead with 5:15 remaining in the first half after Ahelegbe's finger roll put the Panthers up 22-11. Rank connected on back-to-back triples for the Panthers before half as the home squad took a 37-18 lead at the break.

The second half was more of the same for the overmatched Bulldogs. Northern Iowa stretched its lead to 54-26 after Ahelegbe converted consecutive 3-pointers. Phelps' squad failed to come within 14 points of UNI the remainder of the game.

Panther sophomore Jake Koch, who scored a career-high 34 points against Bradley earlier this season, scored just two points and took just two shots.

Northern Iowa Coach Ben Jacobson said that personifies his team.

"There was a little more of (facilitating) tonight,” he said. “But I thought he played well.”

The Panthers shot a sizzling 50 percent from long range, connecting on 12-of-24 attempts. Rank was 4-of-5 from beyond the arc.

- By Mike Stout, Correspondent