CEDAR FALLS, Iowa--Despite a game-high 18 points from junior guard Travis Bledsoe, the Fighting Sioux suffered a 69-49 defeat at the hands of host Northern Iowa tonight at the McLeod Center.
Bledsoe's strong night, which included a 5-for-8 showing from 3-point range, went for naught as the rest of the Sioux roster combined to score just 31 points.
The Panthers, meanwhile, benefited from a balanced scoring effort that was paced by sophomore guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe's 17 points.
Ahelegbe hit 6-of-8 shots from the field and drained a career-high three three-pointers. He was joined in double-figures by center Jordan Eglseder and guard Travis Brown, who each had 12 points, with Eglseder leading UNI in rebounding with seven.
UNI got out of the gate quickly, connecting on its first seven shots from the field, as it scored the first eight points of the game, and held a 19-5 lead after nine minutes. Ahelegbe was the catalyst during that opening stretch, as he had seven points, while forward Adam Koch added four.
With UNI in front 21-10, the Panthers got a three-pointer from Brown, along with a jumper from Brian Haak, during an 8-0 run that extended its lead to 29-10 with 5:27 left on the clock. North Dakota didn't get closer than 16 points before halftime, as the Panthers went into the locker room with a 38-19 lead. The Panthers shot 12-for-20 from the field (60 percent) in the opening half, while the Fighting Sioux connected on 7-of-21 field goals (33 percent).
After Bledsoe hit a three-pointer to start the second half, Ahelegbe answered with two treys of his own over the next two minutes to build its advantage to 44-24 with 17:12 left. The Panthers led by at least 20 points much of the rest of the way, holding as much as a 27-point advantage in the second half (66-39).
UNI shot 49 percent from the field for the game, and 40 percent on three-pointers, while North Dakota connected on just 37 percent of its shots and 29 percent of its treys. The Panthers dominated in the rebounding category, grabbing 40 boards to 24 for the Fighting Sioux. The Panthers also had a season-high 19 assists on just 22 made field goals.
Besides Bledsoe, senior guard Daniel Harkins (Sr., Portage, Wis.) was the only other Sioux to reach double figures, scoring 11 points.
Junior forward Travis Mertens (Devils Lake, N.D.) pulled down a game-high seven rebounds for UND.
The Sioux, now 4-3 overall and stuck in a two-game losing rut, will return home for three straight beginning Wednesday against Valley City State. UND will then host Jamestown (Dec. 13) and Dickinson State (Dec. 17) before wrapping up the first half of the season at Green Bay (Dec. 20) and Wichita State (Dec. 22).
