UNI sheds Arch Madness losing streak

ST. LOUIS — The last half-dozen times Northern Iowa Coach Ben Jacobson and his players have answered questions to the media, they've been asked about the losing streak the No. 11/12 Panthers had at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

After four straight years of losses in their first game at Arch Madness, they can finally shed the questions and move forward in the present. A runaway second half carried UNI to a 71-46 victory against Bradley and into the tournament semifinals.

'It's gonna be nice (not hearing about it),' forward Seth Tuttle said through a laugh after the game. 'Now we're on a winning streak. Obviously that's a lot more fun to talk about than a losing streak.'

Jacobson gave a knowing laugh when he answered the same question.

A losing streak like that is more a focus for fans and media than it is for him and his team, but that doesn't mean they don't hear it when it's talked about. And when Bradley looked like it had confidence and belief they could shock the college basketball world late in the first half and early in the second, Jacobson said those are the moments a narrative like a losing streak can haunt a team.

'I'm happy for those guys and for the guys that are returning next year that they don't have to answer that question. I'm happy about that,' Jacobson said. 'We don't talk about last year, the year before or how many years it's been since we won a game on Friday. But because I don't talk about it doesn't meant the guys don't understand it, don't feel it.

'There certainly was that aspect to this game and I felt like when we got deep in the first half we were fine. But once a game like that gets close, some of that stuff can creep back in. To see Deon (Mitchell) and Nate (Buss) as seniors step forward and put all that to rest and just drive us home, I thought that was terrific.'

The performance that broke the streak wasn't exactly what the Panthers (28-3, 16-2 MVC) wanted — through the first 24 minutes of basketball, at least.

A 14-3 Bradley run to end the first half had the score 27-25, and was filled with sloppy UNI offense, turnovers and a few missed defensive assignments. The second half started even, too, with the score 34-32 with 16:26 left in the game. From there, though, a light seemed to switch on for the Panthers, and UNI turned back into the team everyone has become used to seeing.

As Jacobson said, it was Mitchell and Buss who fueled what became a 16-2 Panther run that put the game out of reach. Mitchell ended with 14 points on 5 of 7 shooting and five assists. Buss had a season-high 23 points on 8 of 11 shooting and added six rebounds.

Bradley Coach Geno Ford threw a myriad looks at the UNI offense, including unique looks on Tuttle. The forward said he felt like the team handled the Braves' (9-24, 3-15) pressure a lot better in the second half, which eased things up and slowed the game down.

Once the Panthers regained their composure and control, the defense returned to forcing turnovers and creating offense.

'We just picked up our intensity overall. We picked up our toughness, a lot of guys started making hustle plays we weren't making in the first half,' Buss said. 'I think they were kind of outworking us in the first half. We came out with a great mindset in the second half and we knew as a team we weren't going to get outworked; we weren't going to get outplayed.

'Our pace on offense really picked up, I think. We were running things really well, whether it was zone or man. Another thing was our defense was just outstanding. We were forcing a lot of turnovers, which led to a lot of runouts.'

Buss and Mitchell having the day they did offset a frustrating game for Tuttle — who still ended up with 10 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in a game that didn't feel up to his standards.

As annoyed as he might've been at the 'five layups I missed' and his own performance, the aura of a losing streak at Arch Madness being gone was more than enough to keep him smiling after the game. He's used to seeing specialty defenses by now, and is more than happy to let his teammates take a turn in the spotlight offensively if it means the Panthers are still playing on Saturday and beyond.

'At times it was a little bit (frustrating). We've played against these guys, obviously, before and they did the same thing (to me),' Tuttle said. 'It didn't feel like that (a double-double night) at all.

'We were obviously prepared for what was to come. And to me, you know, like I mentioned, I'm so happy we got the win and that's the top thing on the list.'

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