CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP)—Jordan Eglseder scored 20 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked four shots as Northern Iowa beat Evansville 69-62 Saturday to claim a share of its first Missouri Valley Conference title.
Northern Iowa and Creighton both finished 14-4 in the Valley. But the Panthers earned the top seed in next week’s conference tournament on a tiebreaker.
Northern Iowa (20-10) took its largest lead, 50-29, on a 3-pointer by Travis Brown with 14 minutes left. But Evansville (17-12, 8-10) pulled within 58-55 on a 3-point play by Shy Ely, capping a 26-8 run.
Northern Iowa’s Kwadzo Ahelegbe, who had 17 points, then made a basket and followed with two free throws to put the Panthers back ahead 62-55.
Ely led all scorers with 26 points for the Purple Aces.
