CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP)—Bryan Mullins scored 16 points while leading Southern Illinois to a 56-54 win over Northern Iowa on Tuesday.
After a Brooks McKowen layup brought Northern Iowa to within 56-54 with 1:20 remaining, Jamaal Tatum missed a jumper for Southern Illinois, but Matt Shaw grabbed an offensive rebound that allowed the Salukis to run off more time. Tony Young then missed a 3-pointer that would have iced the game, giving the Panthers one last possession with 15 seconds remaining.
Travis Brown missed a 3-pointer with one second left that would have won the game for Northern Iowa.
Randal Falker scored 13 points, and Shaw grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds— including seven on the offensive end—for Southern Illinois (16-5, 7-3 Missouri Valley).
Northern Iowa lost despite shooting 50 percent from the field, including 73.3 percent (11-of-15) from beyond the arc. Travis Brown was 4-for-5 and McKowen was 3-for-3 from 3-point range.
McKowen scored 17 points to lead Northern Iowa (15-5, 6-3), and Grant Stout added 11 points and 13 rebounds.
