NORMAL, Ill. (AP) – Bobby Hunter scored 17 points and grabbed three rebounds as Illinois State defeated Northern Iowa 76-65 on Wednesday night. Daishon Knight had 15 points and four rebounds for the Redbirds (13-10, 6-5 Missouri Valley Conference). Zach Lofton came off the bench to score 14 with five rebounds and three assists and Jamaal Samuel added 10 points.

Illinois State had a 34-31 advantage at halftime but Northern Iowa mounted a 17-2 run – capped by a Knight 3-pointer – early in the second period to go up 50-41 with 12:09 remaining. The Panthers came back to within four with 5:35 left but the Redbirds responded with an 18-11 run to finish the game.

Matt Bohannon had 19 points and four rebounds for the Panthers (11-12, 5-6). Seth Tuttle added 15 points and 10 rebounds.