SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (AP) – Anthony James scored 22 points to lead Northern Iowa to a 79-62 victory against Providence in the South Padre Island Invitational on Saturday night. Seth Tuttle had 13 points and 11 rebounds and Jake Koch 13 points for the Panthers (5-1), who won their fourth straight game. Vincent Council scored 26 points, LaDontae Henton 16 and Gerard Coleman 13 for the Friars (4-2). Henton had nine rebounds. The Panthers, who defeated a Big East school for the first time in 10 tries, led 40-34 with 15:21 remaining. An 11-2 run over the next 1:44, in which Koch scored six points, gave them control of the game for good.

Northern Iowa and Iowa State were both 4-0 at the South Padre Invitational. The teams play at Iowa State on Wednesday.