Wichita State 54 - 70 Northern Iowa
Final
  for this game

Tuttle, Northern Iowa take down Wichita State

Feb 1, 2015 - 5:48 AM Cedar Falls, IA (SportsNetwork.com) - Northern Iowa and Wichita State played the first Missouri Valley game between ranked opponents in 33 years.

And it was the 18th-ranked Panthers who picked up a solid home win to snap No. 12 Wichita State's 27-game regular-season winning streak in conference.

Seth Tuttle scored a career-high 29 points with seven rebounds as Northern Iowa defeated Wichita State, 70-54, on Saturday.

The Panthers (20-2, 9-1 MVC) made 60 percent of their field goals and converted 5-of-7 shots from beyond the arc in their ninth straight win.

Fred VanVleet led the Shockers (19-3, 9-1) with 18 points and Ron Baker chipped in with 12 points on just 2-of-10 shooting from 3-point range.

"The best team won," Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall said. "Tuttle was unstoppable."

Wichita State, which had its nine-game winning streak halted, had not lost since a 60-54 setback to George Washington in the Diamond Head Classic final.

The Shockers converted 35.4 percent from the field, including just 20.8 percent from beyond the arc.

Evan Wessel opened the game with a 3-pointer and Baker followed with a layup. Tuttle responded with the next seven points of the game before Paul Jesperson potted a 3 that capped a 10-0 burst.

The Shockers trailed by three after a VanVleet three-point play, but Wichita State made just one field goal over the final 5:42 of the first half. Northern Iowa, meanwhile, ended the stanza on a 13-3 run for a 37-24 lead at the break.

Much like the opening minutes of the first half, Tuttle started the second by scoring the Panthers' first eight points as the hosts stretched their lead to 45-26.

The Shockers could not solve Northern Iowa's stifling defense throughout the afternoon. The Panthers used that defense as well as efficient offense en route to the top spot in the conference.

Game Notes

Wichita State's last regular-season loss in conference occurred at Creighton on March 2, 2013 ... Nolan Richardson's Tulsa Golden Hurricanes defeated Wichita State on Jan. 16, 1982 in the last Missouri Valley game between ranked foes ... Including the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, the Shockers had their 30-game winning streak snapped to conference opponents ... Wes Washpun supplied 16 points off the Northern Iowa bench, while Wichita State's reserves combined for just seven points.






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