DEKALB, Ill. – David Coit (Columbus, N.J./Atlantic Cape CC) scored a team-high 17 points and Quaran McPherson (Queens, N.Y./Nebraska) added a career-high 14 as the Northern Illinois University men's basketball team rallied to within seven in the second half before falling, 76-63, to Northern Iowa on Thursday night (Dec. 21) at the NIU Convocation Center. 

Zarique Nutter (Newark, N.J./Clarendon College) added 12 points and Yanic Konan Niederhauser (Fraschels, Switzerland/Ursping) had 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds. 

"With foul trouble and injuries, we had to play some funky lineups and we just didn't play well," said NIU head coach Rashon Burno. "In the second half, Quaran McPherson had big minutes and gave us 14 points, which was huge, but our starters, outside of Yanic, were all double digits down in plus minus. UNI is a good team; they have played a tough schedule and were well prepared."

Northern Iowa (6-7) made its first six attempts from the field as the Panthers took an early 14-6 lead.

A pair of triples helped the Panthers push their lead to 22-11 before back-to-back baskets by Philmon Gebrewhit (Boston, Mass./DePaul) pulled NIU (6-5) back within seven, 22-15, with just under 13 minutes to play in the opening half. 

An 8-0 run by the visitors, including five points from Trey Campbell, gave Northern Iowa a 33-16 advantage. The Panther lead would grow to as much as 18 in the first half before Northern Iowa took a 43-26 lead into halftime. 

Coit led all scorers with 12 points in the opening 20 minutes, Kyle Pock had nine to pace the Panthers. Northern Iowa shot 50 percent (15-of-30) from the field in the opening half, including 54.5 percent (6-of-11) from three, while holding NIU to just 32 percent (8-of-25) shooting and 20 percent (2-of-10) from three. 

A 10-2 burst early in the second half cut the Northern Iowa advantage to 51-38 four minutes into the second stanza. Nutter opened the run with a triple, Konan Niederhauser added a basket before Coit scored five-straight for NIU. 

McPherson knocked in his second triple of the half and Harvin Ibarguen (Cali, Colombia/Seward County CC) followed with a bucket as the Huskies pulled to within seven, 58-51, with 11:41 remaining. 

Northern Iowa scored six of the next eight as their lead grew back to 11. McPherson then hit his third triple to trim the Panther advantage to just eight, 64-56, with 7:25 to play, but the Huskies would get no closer as Northern Iowa had an answer for every NIU basket the rest of the way. 

Tytan Anderson finished with 17 points to lead UNI, Bowen Born added 15 points, Nate Heise scored 13 and Jacob Hutson chipped in 11 points. The Panthers finished the game shooting 49 percent (24-of-49) from the field, including 47.1 percent (8-of-17) from three. The visitors also went 20-of-26 (76.9 percent) from the free-throw line while NIU was just 9-of-13 (69.2 percent). 

Following the Holiday break, NIU will return to action as it meets Iowa in the final non-conference game of the season on Friday, Dec. 29, at 6 p.m. in Iowa City. The contest against the Hawkeyes will be available on BTN+.