Box Score (PDF)

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Junior Egidijus Mockevicius posted his 17^th double-double of the season while D.J. Balentine scored a team-best 16 points as 10^th-ranked UNI earned a 68-57 victory on Wednesday evening at the
 
Mockevicius hit 4 of his 8 attempts to score 10 points while posting 10 boards.  Balentine went 6-of-14 from the field to post 16 for UE (19-10, 9-8 MVC).  Three Panthers (27-2, 16-1 MVC) finished in double figures, led by Deon Mitchell.  He scored 17 on a perfect 5-5 day from the floor.  Paul Jesperson (11) and Seth Tuttle (10) also posted double figures.
 
Northern Iowa came out on fire.  Deon Mitchell nailed a triple in the first possession as the Panthers opened up a 13-4 advantage hitting five of their opening eight attempts and 3 out of 4 from outside.  The Aces hit a pair of early shots, but four turnovers in a row helped the Panthers gain the early edge.
 
Their edge reached double figures for the first time at the 12:48 mark as Wyatt Lohaus made it a 4-for-5 start from outside for UNI and gave them an 18-8 lead.  Up 21-10, the Panthers allowed UE to make a run as they committed five turnovers in a span of 1:28.  Evansville scored the next four to get back within seven before Paul Jesperson scored five quick tallies to push the lead up to 12 at 26-14.
 
As the first half started to wind down, the Aces made their way back in it.  They got within seven points at 28-21, but with just over a minute remaining, a quick spurt by the Panthers saw them take their largest lead at 36-22.  Following a missed UE free throw, UNI hit back-to-back triples to go up 36-22.  The Aces hit a late bucket to trail by 12 at the break.  Balentine had 10 to lead UE in the first half while Jesperson recorded 11.  Mockevicius posted 8 rebounds and 3 blocks in the first 20 minutes of play.
 
Out of the break, a field goal put UNI back up 38-24 before Balentine hit the first triple of the game for UE.  The lead for the Panthers reached 17 at 44-27, but the Aces would fight their way back.  A 13-1 stretch saw the Aces cut the deficit to just five at 45-40.  Evansville hit four out of five shots at one points while the Panthers went cold, going 0-2 with three turnovers.
 
UNI regrouped, registering the next eight tallies to go up 53-40.  Inside the 7-minute mark, Seth Tuttle dunked it to put the Panthers up 60-44.  It capped off a 15-4 stretch after UE got within five.  They would not give up that edge over the final minutes as they finished off the victory.
 
Evansville finished with a 25-24 rebounding edge while shooting 47.7%.  UNI finished the day at 52.3%.  The Panthers also finished with a strong 26-13 edge in points off turnovers.
 
On Saturday, Evansville will play its final regular-season home game versus Illinois State.  Heritage Federal Credit Union is sponsoring the game as tickets are just $10.  For more information or to purchase tickets, call 812-488-ACES.