SEATTLE (AP) — Paul Jesperson led five Northern Iowa players in double figures with 16 points, Seth Tuttle added 14 and the fifth-seeded Panthers held off the comeback of No. 12 seed Wyoming for a 71-54 victory in an East Region matchup on Friday. The Panthers (31-3) built a 21-point lead after scoring 11 of the first 12 points to start the second half. That huge lead was whittled to seven points twice but the Cowboys could get no closer. Wes Washpun scored eight of his 10 points in the final 9 minutes to help the Panthers advance.

Larry Nance Jr. led Wyoming (25-10) with 16 points, but was mostly invisible in the first half. Nance had one point and one shot in the first half before coming alive in the second half to try and lead Wyoming’s comeback bid.