In an intense battle that featured both teams shooting well under 50 percent, the UNI Panthers defeated the Iowa State men’s basketball team 61-57 before an enthusiastic throng of 5,369.

“I’m not surprised at all. This is about how I thought it would go. We’re very limited right now,” Coach Larry Eustachy, who picked up his first technical as a Cyclone with 13 minutes left in the game, said.

The game began slowly for both teams. With almost seven minutes gone by, the Panthers held an 8-2 lead.

The play started to pick up as ISU went on a 13-2 run that made the score 15-9 with nine minutes left in the first half.

The seesaw battle continued into halftime with the Panthers taking a 29-25 lead on the strength of two three-pointers by Sean Stackhouse, who had a game-high nine points at the break.

Leading the way for the Cyclones at the midway mark was Marcus Fizer, who had 10 points and eight rebounds despite shooting only 3-10 from the field.

“I don’t know what happened in the first half. The shots I normally make just weren’t falling for me. They did a good job defending me the whole game,” Fizer said.

The second half began with the Panthers on the prowl, as they extended their lead to 48-37 with 10:07 left in the game.

The Cyclones responded and made an 13-2 run to tie the game at 50 with just under five minutes to play.

The rest of the tilt was closely contested, as the four point final margin represented the biggest lead in the final six minutes.

After Northern Iowa coach Sam Weaver was hit with a technical foul, Marcus Fizer hit two free throws to tie the game again, this time at 53.

However, Martin Rancik could not hit on a short jumper, and former Cyclone Tyler Peterson converted two free throws to give UNI a 55-53 lead.

Fizer answered strongly with a tough jumper in the paint to tie it back up, and ISU would get one final chance with 1:22 to get control of the game.

They could not convert, as Fizer missed a jumper. And on the other end, Joe Breckenridge, whose 16-point, 10-rebound night included a 10-10 performance on the free throw line. He knocked down two shots at the stripe giving UNI a 57-55 lead with :48 left.

Free throw shooting was a key, as the Panthers finished a season-best 21-25 at the line, while ISU ended up at 9-14.

Then when Paris Corner missed a short jumper, Robbie Sieverding hit two shots, and Iowa State, which shot only 31 percent in the first half and 38 for the game, was dealt its second loss in five games.

Marcus Fizer led the Cyclones with 20 points, while Paris Corner came off the bench to score 13.

“Marcus Fizer is a load. We did our best to stop him, and he still ended with 20. Him, Martin Rancik, and Paris Corner all have very bright futures with that team,” Weaver said.

The Panthers were led by Sieverding and Breckenridge, who each tallied 16 points.

The Cyclones will now return home and face North Texas in the first round of the Cyclone Classic.