Mitchell sparks UNI offense, leads Panthers to 58-49 win over SIU

For the first 29 minutes of Tuesday night's men's basketball game against the Southern Illinois Salukis, the University of Northern Iowa Panthers struggled to score points. With 11 minutes remaining in regulation, the Panthers had scored just 29 points on abysmal 29 percent shooting and trailed the Salukis 34-29. However, over the next 11 minutes, UNI doubled their scoring output and defeated SIU 58-49.

"We grinded it out for a while -- 30 minutes it seemed like -- and nothing was going our way. … It was a good feeling to see a couple shots go down," said UNI senior guard Johnny Moran.

The Panthers' (15-9, 5-7 MVC) comeback was fueled by the performance of freshman point guard Deon Mitchell, who scored a career-high 17 points in place of an injured Anthony James, and Moran, who chipped in with nine points. Sophomore forward Chip Rank also contributed 13 points off the UNI bench.

"(Mitchell) got it going and he played awesome for us down the stretch," said Moran. "We needed something to spark us on offense and he did a great job of doing that."

"Deon is at his best in transition and in the open court," said UNI head coach Ben Jacobson. "He's got the go-ahead all the time. Not only did he get himself to the free throw line and get to the basket… but getting in there and being able to stop when there was a lot of traffic and making the right read, those are big plays."

Mitchell helped conduct a late 14-5 run that turned a 39-36 deficit into a 50-44 lead with 4:05 remaining. Mitchell nailed a 3-pointer with 6:43 left to give UNI their first lead since it was 13-10 in the first half. He then connected on two free throws and found a wide-open Moran in the corner, who connected on a 3-pointer of his own.

"(Mitchell) did a good job. He drove into the lane and jump-stopped, and then he found me in the corner and I knocked down the shot," said Moran.

Moran closed the UNI run with a lay-up to put the Panthers up by six.

UNI would seal the 58-49 victory at the free throw line, where they finished the night 20-for-28 after starting 12-of-18. The Panthers finished the night shooting 41.5 percent from the floor.

With the victory UNI moves to 5-7 in Missouri Valley Conference play, just 1.5 games out of a tie for third place.

"I don't think there is any question that the guys certainly needed one of these (games). When you are struggling a little bit and things don't go your way for 20 minutes, and into that second half you need one of these and you need somebody to spark you, and Deon did that," said Jacobson. "This kind of win helps (the team) in terms of their preparation and their confidence and just getting a bounce in their step."

The Panthers will return to action Saturday at 4 p.m. when they host the No. 12-ranked Creighton Bluejays. The game is a sell-out, but students can still get in for free with a valid student ID.