CEDAR FALLS – The return of ISU head coach Greg McDermott to the UNI campus and Cyclone big man Jiri Hubalek to the lineup were duds as Brooks McKowen scored a career-high 27 points to lead the Panthers to a 70-57 victory over the Cyclones.

Iowa State (6-1) suffered its first loss of the season at the hands of Greg McDermott’s alma mater with an all-around sub-par performance from the Cyclones.

Iowa State failed to manage a field goal in the final 5:57 and only shot 33 percent from the field on the game.

To make matters worse, Iowa State only attempted eight free throws to Northern Iowa’s 26.

“You can’t come on the road and shoot a poor percentage and have that kind of free-throw difference and still expect to be in the game,” McDermott said. “But we were still in the game, but we couldn’t make enough plays.”

Iowa State trailed the Panthers 33-24 at halftime but came back to tie the Panthers at 43 with just under eight minutes into the second half in a rowdy UNI Dome.

“This is the first time we’ve played in this kind of environment,” McDermott said. “I give my team a lot of credit for coming back in the game.”

Rahshon Clark was one of the few bright spots for Iowa State, notching a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, but he was still unsatisfied with the Cyclones’ performance.

“We didn’t shoot the ball well at all,” Clark said. “We had chances to come back and take the lead, but we just couldn’t put the ball in the basket.

“We gave up way too many free throws, and when you do that, you will not win basketball games.”

Two of Iowa State’s biggest offensive players, Hubalek and guard Mike Taylor, were largely ineffective for the Cyclones. Hubalek had 12 points but was an ugly four-of-18 from the floor, while Taylor only managed five points on 1-of-9 shooting.

Still, McDermott wasn’t completely disappointed with the Cyclones’ shot selection.

“Mike had a couple bad shots, but he also had seven assists,” McDermott said. “You give Jiri those 18 shots, he’s not going to make only four that often. He can shoot the ball.”

On the defensive end of the floor, Northern Iowa’s McKowen terrorized the Cyclones all night with his 27 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-3 from three-point land and a crippling 12-of-13 from the charity stripe.

Clark was the Cyclone assigned to guard McKowen most often, but his efforts weren’t enough for a majority of the contest.

“He’s pretty good,” Clark said. “I just tried my best to keep him from getting the ball. If he did, the goal was to get him to have to pass the ball back away.”

McDermott recruited McKowen to Northern Iowa and said he was not surprised by the ability that McKowen showed Wednesday night.

“A lot of people complain about what Brooks can’t do,” McDermott said. “I was never one of those guys. All he does is win.

“He took advantage of everyone we put on him. It didn’t matter who we put on him, he made veteran, savvy plays. Obviously, he was a huge factor in the game.”

For Iowa State, it’s back to the drawing board as the team prepares for another intrastate rivalry game on Sunday with the Drake Bulldogs, leaving little time for the Cyclones to sit around feeling sorry for themselves.

“We’re a work in progress,” McDermott said. “By no means are we a finished project.”

Iowa State falls to 6-1 on the season, while Northern Iowa improved to 5-1.

“This is our first loss,” Clark said. “We’re going to have to get in the gym and bounce back.”

Ross did not play against Northern Iowa because of a bout with the flu. His status for the game against Drake is unknown.