The University of Northern Iowa men’s basketball team overcame a five-point deficit in the final three minutes to defeat Southern Illinois University 55-52 at the McLeod Center Saturday. The No. 22-ranked Panthers move to 21-2 overall and 12-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference with the win. The victory also marks UNI’s 12th-straight win on their home court, having a perfect 12-0 at the McLeod Center this season. Senior Adam Koch carried the Panthers down the stretch with a 16-point performance in the second half.

The Panthers found themselves trailing 49-44 with under 2:30 remaining in the game when Koch took matters into his own hands. Up to that point Koch had scored UNI’s last seven points, but SIU still maintained leads of up to seven points in the second half.

Koch proceeded to make big plays on offense and defense to lead the Panthers in a 11-3 run to secure the victory. Koch’s controlling performance commenced with a three-pointer with 2:27 left, bringing UNI within two.

“When Koch hit that last three at the top of the key, that was the one that hurt the most,” said SIU head coach Chris Lowery.

After the Salukis’ Anthony Booker missed two free throws, Koch cut across the lane and notched the score at 49 with a sweeping lay-up. Seconds later, Koch intercepted a Saluki inbounds pass and, on the ensuing possession, converted consecutive free throws to give the Panthers their first lead since the nine-minute mark.

The Salukis then attempted to regain the lead as Kevin Dillard shot a three-pointer on the following possession. He missed, and Koch came up with the rebound and was fouled by Justin Bocot. Koch made both free throws once again, giving UNI a 53-49 lead. A Koch steal on the next possession with five seconds remaining sealed the Panther victory and earned a standing ovation from the McLeod Center crowd.

“(Koch has) come through for our team a number of times. Today, obviously, it really stood out,” said UNI head coach Ben Jacobson.

“He’s been really consistent now for really two years, so because of his consistency it just doesn’t stand out that much until something like this happens.”

Alternating scoring droughts characterized the first half of play. UNI held the Salukis at two points for four minutes and 46 seconds at the beginning of the game and were ahead 8-2 after five minutes ticked away. SIU turned the tables shortly thereafter going on a 10-0 run, shutting down the Panthers for six minutes.

Later in the half, the Salukis failed to convert a shot for five minutes and 37 seconds as UNI recovered from a 14-11 deficit to go ahead 18-14. However, the Panthers would remain at 18 points for the rest of the half, being held scoreless for the final four minutes and 43 seconds. The Panthers and Salukis entered halftime tied 18-18.

“I thought did a really good job of guarding the basketball. They took away some of Kwadzo (Ahelegbe’s) penetration. They forced Jordan (Eglseder) off the block, so we were a little slow getting to some other things,” Jacobson said.

From the field, Ahelegbe and Eglseder shot three for 12 and two for seven, respectively.

The Panthers and Salukis battled back and forth in the second half. In the first 13 minutes of the half, 10 lead changes occurred. The Salukis then proceeded to hold as much as a seven-point advantage (42-35) with 6:09 remaining. Their lead remained until Koch scored his 17th of his 21 points with under one minute left.

UNI’s last three wins have come down to the final moments, each having a point differential of no more than three points.

“I think we do a pretty good job at staying level-headed and not getting upset or too high on things,” said Koch.

“Regardless of the situation, we have a lot of trust in each other that somebody is going to step forward and come through,” said Jacobson.

Despite being in the lead for a majority of the game’s last 10 minutes and boasting a 17-point performance by former Iowa Hawkeye Tony Freeman, SIU could not pull out the victory in the end. The Salukis’ last five losses have all had final score differences of three or less points.

“The team that executed best down the stretch won,” said Freeman.

“We just melted down a little bit, panicked,” Lowery said.

The Panthers have five conference matches remaining before they head to St. Louis for the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. Although UNI has a three-game lead in the conference standings, they will try not to get too comfortable.

“When you get this far into your league race and you aren’t playing at a high level at both ends of the floor, you’re going to put yourself in a hole. There’s no question,” Jacobson said.

The Panthers travel to Des Moines Wednesday to face Drake University. The game will broadcast on Cedar Falls Utilities channel 15 with a tip-off time of 7:05 p.m.