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Shockers stay unbeaten, top Northern Iowa

Feb 9, 2014 - 5:04 AM Cedar Falls, IA (SportsNetwork.com) - Tekele Cotton led five Wichita State scorers in double figures with 18 points, as the fourth-ranked Shockers remained unbeaten with an 82-73 triumph over Northern Iowa on Saturday at McLeod Center.

Cleanthony Early added 16 points, while Darius Carter scored 15 points off the bench on 6-of-6 shooting from the field for Wichita State (25-0, 12-0 MVC), which shot 54.2 percent (26-of-48) from the floor.

Fred VanVleet totaled 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Ron Baker registered 12 points and six helpers for the Shockers, who are riding the second-longest win streak in MVC history behind only a 33-game run by the Larry Bird-led 1978-79 Indiana State squad.

Matt Bohannon led the Panthers (11-13, 5-7) with 17 points, while Seth Tuttle tallied 16 points and eight boards in the setback, Northern Iowa's third in a row and fifth in its last six games.

Marvin Singleton's jumper pulled the Panthers within 44-43 early in the second half, but the home team went the next six minutes without a field goal, allowing the Shockers to create some separation.

Carter contributed five straight during the ensuing 12-1 Wichita State surge, which Cotton capped with a triple for a 56-44 lead with 14:14 on the clock.

A Bohannon 3-pointer with 9:21 left got the Panthers within 60-52, but Cotton finished a pair of buckets in close around a Carter layup to push the cushion to 14 with just over 7 1/2 minutes to play.

Northern Iowa failed to get closer than nine the rest of the way as Wichita State held on for the victory.

Early on, the Panthers led 20-19 with just under 9 1/2 minutes left in the first half, but the Shockers scored the next seven points, including five straight from Early, to grab a 26-20 lead.

Wichita State carried a 44-37 advantage into the break, but the Panthers poured in the first six points of the second half to make it a one-point game.

Game Notes

Northern Iowa leads the all-time series by a slim 25-24 margin ... The Panthers shot 42.4 percent (25-of-59) from the floor ... Wes Washpun scored 14 points and added six assists for the Panthers ... Wichita State won the rebounding battle, 40-24 ... UNI scored 19 points off 15 Wichita State turnovers.