ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Elijah Brown scored 25, including the final five points of the first half Saturday, helping New Mexico beat Northern Iowa 76-57. Brown’s surge capped an 8-0 Lobos’ run that broke a 27-27 tie – the seventh of the first half. That was a key stretch, however, as the Panthers (6-3) could get no closer than five points the rest of the way. Tim Williams added 19 for New Mexico (6-2), while Brown grabbed seven rebounds.

Northern Iowa got 12 off the bench from Wyatt Lohaus, while leading scorer Wes Washpun scored 10, six below his average. The Panthers had a chance to get back into the game early in the second half after cutting the deficit to 44-38. But they botched consecutive fast-break opportunities and threw it away on the next possession. That helped start the Lobos on a quick 7-0 burst that pushed the score to 51-38.

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Bruce Anderson returned a kickoff for a touchdown for the second straight week to help North Dakota State to a 23-13 victory over Northern Iowa in an FCS quarterfinal game Saturday. Anderson appeared to be corralled at the NDSU 40 but spun out of the tackle and sprinted in on a 97-yard scoring play. That turned a halftime deficit into a 14-10 lead.

NDSU (11-2) held UNI’s highly-touted running game in check most of the game. The Panthers (9-5) finished with 120 yards rushing. Bison running back King Frazier ran for 107 of his team’s 153 yards rushing. NDSU was outgained by a 2-1 margin in the first half but finished with a 269-221 advantage in total offense.

The four-time defending FCS champion Bison advance to the semifinals against Richmond.