CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – On Feb. 17, 1978, the last time North Dakota defeated Northern Iowa, the No. 1 song on the charts was "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees, and the Panthers were able to do just that with a 64-62 victory over North Dakota on Saturday afternoon at the McLeod Center.
 
Trailing by two with just under a pair of seconds remaining, UND (6-7) had a final look at the basket, but the inbound pass was just off the mark as the Panthers (5-7) held on for the victory in the final nonconference contest of the season for the Fighting Hawks.
 
Conner Avants scored a game-high 19 points on a 6-of-8 afternoon from the field for his highest output since scoring 20 points at Utah Valley on Nov. 24. The senior also tied for the team lead with five rebounds, dished out an assist, and had a steal.
 
Fellow senior Cortez Seales joined Avants in double figures with 10 points, five rebounds, and two assists in the losing effort. The Iowa native has now scored 10+ points in 11 of the 13 contests this season, matching only Quinton Hooker and Troy Huff to accomplish the feat in the Division I era (2008-present).
 
After struggling from the field in the opening half, UND converted at a 58.3% clip in the second stanza to finish with a 50.0% (21-of-42) overall shooting day. Saturday marks the first time in six tries this season that the Hawks have fallen in a game when shooting at 50% or better.
 
On the defensive side, the visitors held the Panthers to just 38.2% from the field, marking the seventh time this season that UND has held its opponent to under 40% shooting.
 
While neither team shot the ball particularly well from the line, it was a tale of two halves in regards to drawing fouls and getting to the charity stripe. In the first half, UND shot 20 free throws while Northern Iowa only registered five attempts; however in the second half, UNI earned 14 trips to the line and UND only had six.
 
Shandon Goldman finished with a double-double in the win for the Panthers, scoring 16 points and collecting 11 rebounds to pace the hosts in both categories. The seven offensive rebounds by Goldman helped UNI record a plus-10 advantage on the boards, 37-27.
 
Northern Iowa came out firing to begin the game, connecting on three of its first five attempts from distance to build an early 11-2 lead before Brown answered with a three of his own to give the Panthers an 11-5 advantage at the game's opening media timeout.
 
Despite a 2-for-7 start from the field, UND was able to get to the charity stripe thanks to a strong offensive attack inside. The Hawks kept the game in single digits after a 4-of-6 start from the line as UNI lead 19-11 with just over 11 minutes to play in the first half.
 
After the hot start, the North Dakota defense was able to cool down the Panthers throughout the middle of the opening stanza to help the Hawks inch closer. UND held UNI to 1-of-8 from the field and scoreless for over two minutes to cut the deficit down to three thanks to a 7-0 run. Seales polished off the run with a great drive and finish through the contact to complete the and-1 opportunity.
 
Avants continued to punish the smaller lineup of the Panthers, notching his third make from the field to cross into double figures for the first time since Dec. 9 vs. Milwaukee. The senior then drained a pair at the line to trim the UNI lead to one, 27-26, with just under four minutes to play in the first half.
 
Northern Iowa built its lead back up to five, but a final bucket by Avants in the final minute sent the visitors to the locker room trailing by three, 32-29, after falling behind by as many as 10 during the stanza. Avants finished with a game-high 14 points in the half, converting at a 4-for-5 clip while Seales and Rebraca each posted four rebounds to lead the team.
 
After UNI stretched its lead to six, 37-31, just minutes into the second half, UND answered right back as Rebraca and Seales scored back-to-back buckets to cut the advantage down to just two, 37-35, at the first media timeout of the period. Moments later, Aanen Moody gave the Hawks their first lead of the game, 38-37, with a triple from the corner to make it 13 straight games with a three for the redshirt freshman.
 
North Dakota took control of the momentum with a 5-0 spurt with just under 12 minutes remaining in the second half after a Rebraca offensive rebound led to a Marlon Stewart jumper followed by a Kienan Walter and-1 play in transition to give the Hawks a 45-41 lead; however, UNI answered right back with a 6-0 run of its own to recapture the lead, 47-45, with 9:40 to play.
 
Tied at 49 with less than eight minutes remaining, Stewart, who didn't score in the first half, drilled a three off a great pass from Avants followed by the senior hitting 1-of-2 at the charity stripe to give the Hawks a 53-49 lead with under six minutes to go, but UNI answered right back again with a 7-0 run to take a 57-55 advantage at the game's final media timeout.
 
Deadlocked at 60, UNI scored four straight points to take a 64-60 lead with under 10 seconds to play, but Stewart drove to the basket and converted the layup to bring the score back to a one-possession game, 64-62, with two seconds to play.
 
UND's defense stood tall and forced a five-second violation on the ensuing inbounds play to take possession of the basketball underneath the Panther hoop with under two ticks remaining for a shot at the tie or the win; however, the intended pass deflected off the bottom of the backboard and ricochet to a Northern Iowa player as the Panthers held on for the 64-62 triumph.
 
NOTES: UND falls to 0-9 vs. the Panthers in the Division I era … The Fighting Hawks finish nonconference play with a 6-7 record, their most wins since 2011-12 … Cortez Seales has now scored 10+ points in 11 of 13 games this season … Conner Avants reached double figures for the sixth time this season … UND falls to 5-1 this season when shooting at a 50% clip or better … Aanen Moody has hit at least one three in all 13 games this season, the longest streak since Aaron Anderson's run of 17 straight games in 2012-13.