Recap: Northern Iowa vs. Illinois State

Cedar Falls, IA (Sports Network) - Behind 19 points from Anthony James, the Northern Iowa Panthers downed the Illinois State Redbirds, 80-72, in a Missouri Valley Conference tilt at the McLeod Center.

For the Panthers (18-13, 11-7 MVC), Jake Koch posted a double-double with 18 points and 11 points, Marc Sonnen also scored 18 points and Seth Tuttle registered a double-double of his own, with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Tyler Brown finished with a game-high 28 points for the Redbirds (17-14, 8-10) and Johnny Hill chipped in with 14 points.

UNI took a 39-32 lead into halftime by shooting 44.4 percent from the field and draining 4-of-10 from 3-point range. Illinois State was held to 35.1 percent shooting from the field and 4-of-15 from beyond the arc in the half.

In the second half, the Redbirds heated up from the floor, knocking down 57.1 percent of their field goal tries, including 3-of-10 from 3-point distance. The Panthers shot 47.6 percent from the field in the half, knocking down 6- of-13 from 3-point range. Illinois State cut their deficit to just one on several occasions in the second half but could never tie or take the lead, as the Panthers held on for the victory.

UNI dominated on the boards, outrebounding Illinois State, 42-26. The Redbirds had a slight edge on points in the paint, 26-24.