HONOLULU (AP) — Paul Jesperson scored 18 points, Wes Washpun had 16 and Jeremy Morgan added 14 to help Northern Iowa beat Washington State 63-59 in a consolation semifinal of the Diamond Head Classic late Wednesday night.

The Panthers (8-4) avoided their first back-to-back losses of the season despite being outrebounded 31-20. They bounced back from a 16-point loss to tournament-host Hawaii in Tuesday’s opening round.

Washpun, the reigning Missouri Valley Conference player of the week, had team-highs of five rebounds and four assists for Northern Iowa, which made 19 of its 23 free throws. Jesperson, Morgan and Klint Carlson combined to make 14 of 14 from the charity stripe.

Josh Hawkinson scored 14 points, Ike Iroegbu 12 and Derrien King 10 for Washington State (7-4), which was just 4 of 5 from the free-throw line. There were 10 ties and 19 lead changes in Honolulu.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Chiefs linebacker Tamba Hali broke his right thumb last Sunday in Baltimore and had surgery this week, though the Pro Bowl selection has not been ruled out for their game against Cleveland.

Trainer Rick Burkholder said Wednesday that Hali had swelling when he came to the practice facility on Monday. An examination revealed a displaced fracture, and Hali had three small screws inserted.

Hali is wearing a splint but could be available for Sunday’s game against the Browns. The Chiefs are already without All-Pro pass rusher Justin Houston, who has been sidelined by a hyperextended knee.

In some positive injury news, wide receiver De’Anthony Thomas was expected back at practice. He has been out the past three games after sustaining a concussion against San Diego on Nov. 29.

The Iowa Hawkeyes had some time off before resuming practice in Iowa City for the Rose Bowl game against Stanford. For some players, like quarterback C.J. Beathard, it was a welcome break. “It’s been a good time to kind of relax and kind of look back on the season…look back at what we accomplished this season, we did a lot of good things this season. It’s a tribute to the guys and how hard they worked this season. We are excited for this Rose Bowl game, we are excited to get out there to Pasadena,” Beathard says.

Beathard has had nagging injuries throughout the season and says the rest has helped. Beathard says the first week off was like rest week for him, but now they have turned their focus to Stanford. The quarterback says the healing process continues. He says he is still recovering and getting better each and every day. Iowa leaves for California Thursday, and Beathard says the focus on the football game will get stronger, even with all the other things going on.

“A lot of activities and distractions out there…those are the goods things that’s a result of having a good season and a result of going to the Rose Bowl,” Beathard says. “You’ve got to enjoy that, you’ve got to embrace it, but we’ve also got to stay focused and maintain the task at hand.” Senior runningback Jordan Canzeri got injured again in the Big Ten title game, but is confident he can play in Pasadena.

“It’s been great, my ankle feels great, I am definitely ready to go, and I will be. I have a lot of work to put in before then, but I’ll be ready,” Canzeri says. Finishing his Hawkeye career on the field in a bowl game — not the sideline — has been motivation. “An experience like this is something you don’t want to just let go,” Canzeri says. “It was extra motivation in rehab, and I am just glad that I am ready now.”

Iowa fought to get respect all season long despite a 12-0 regular season record. Canzeri says that’s till the case as they play in the bowl game. “We just within ourselves have that internal motivation to win this game — so it doesn’t matter what people say negatively or positively,” according to Canzeri. “For us, we know that we just want to end this season on a positive note with a win. We want to build on the rich legacy of this program and build on the season that we’ve had with a win, so that’s just the most important thing right now.” Senior wide receiver Tevaun Smith says the older members of the team know the importance of preparing for the game.

He says they can have fun and it will be exciting for players,”But the older guys know what we have at stake and are going to work hard out in California and be ready for Stanford.” Smith says they understand the history of the Rose Bowl, but that doesn’t change how they get ready. “We recognize it’s the granddaddy of them all, but then again, it’s just like any game. We are going to come in and we are not going to practice any different, we are going to do the same thing we do during the season and work hard,” Smith says.

Iowa faces Stanford in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.

(Radio Iowa)