CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — No. 18 Northern Iowa let No. 12 Wichita State know the Shockers are no longer the only dominant team in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Seth Tuttle scored a career-high 29 points and the Panthers trounced Wichita State 70-54 on Saturday, snapping the Shockers’ 27-game regular season winning streak in league play.
Wes Washpun had 16 points off the bench for the Panthers (20-2, 9-1 MVC). They pulled into a tie with the Shockers for first in the conference after a surprisingly commanding performance.
Northern Iowa seized control with a 21-3 run late in the first half and pushed its lead to as much as 49-30 early in the second half. Tuttle finished 9 of 13 from the field, 10 of 13 from the free-throw line and added seven rebounds
“The best team won. They played really well,” Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall said. “They made every shot...and Tuttle was unstoppable.”
Fred VanVleet had 18 points to lead Wichita State (19-3, 9-1), which shot just 5 of 24 from 3-point range. Star Ron Baker was held to 12 points on 4 of 12 shooting.
“We got good looks. That’s the most disappointing part,” VanVleet said.
This was the first Valley game between ranked opponents in 33 years — and a sign that the league is on solid ground despite losing Creighton before last season.
It wound up being a dud, because the Panthers had the Shockers flummoxed from the opening tip.
Northern Iowa shot 60 percent, and the Shockers were so out of sorts that they began applying full-court pressure in a rare sign of panic. But Tuttle opened the second half with a 3-point play and the rout was on.
“We didn’t expect to come in here and beat them the way we did, I guess,” Tuttle said. “They are a great team. But we really didn’t talk about beating them by one or two. We talked about coming in here and beating them by 15. That was our mindset.”
Northern Iowa will travel to Wichita in the regular-season finale on Feb. 28.
By winning the first one, the Panthers have a much better chance of ensuring that the rematch will have title implications.
“They have five seniors. They’re deep. They’re talented. They can shoot it,” Marshall said of Northern Iowa.

TIP-INS
Wichita State: The last Valley game between ranked teams also involved the Shockers, who lost to 18th-ranked Tulsa 99-88 in 1982. Wichita State and former league member Creighton were ranked on multiple occasions in recent years, but neither was in the Top 25 the week they faced each other. The Shockers had actually beaten 30 straight Valley opponents entering play, as they also won three games and the league tournament title in St. Louis last March. “We won 30 in a row. I’ve got to start a new streak,” Marshall said.
Northern Iowa: The Panthers played in one of three games involving Top 25 teams in the state of Iowa on Saturday. No. 5 Wisconsin beat Iowa 74-63 in Iowa City and No. 15 Iowa State thumped TCU 83-66 in Ames.

PIVOTAL MOMENT
Nate Buss and Matt Bohannon hit back-to-back 3s to give Northern Iowa a 24-18 lead. The Panthers held Wichita State to just three points in the next 6:43, allowing them to grab a double-digit lead they never gave up.

COURTSIDE
At one point in the second half, Washpun fumbled the ball with his back to the basket. But the distraction allowed Marvin Singleton to get free under the basket, and Washpun found him for an easy layup and a 49-30 lead.

UP NEXT
Wichita State plays at Bradley on Feb. 4

COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Missouri Valley Conference

MEN

Saturday

At Cedar Falls, Iowa

No. 18 N. IOWA 70, No. 12 WICHITA ST. 54
WICHITA ST. (19-3)
Wessel 1-3 0-0 3, Carter 4-11 0-0 8, VanVleet 3-10 10-11 18, Baker 4-12 2-2 12, Cotton 2-5 2-2 6, Kelly 0-0 1-2 1, Brown 0-1 0-0 0, Henderson Jr. 0-1 0-0 0, Holland 0-1 0-0 0, Nurger 0-1 0-0 0, Wamukota 0-0 0-0 0, Morris 3-3 0-0 6, Glass 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-48 15-17 54.
N. IOWA (20-2)
Mitchell 1-4 1-2 3, Bohannon 1-2 0-0 3, Tuttle 9-13 10-13 29, Singleton 4-4 0-1 9, Morgan 1-3 0-0 2, Jesperson 1-2 0-0 3, Washpun 5-10 6-7 16, Buss 1-1 0-0 3, Koch 0-0 0-0 0, Lohaus 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 24-40 17-23 70.
Halftime—N. Iowa 37-24. 3-Point Goals_Wichita St. 5-24 (VanVleet 2-6, Baker 2-10, Wessel 1-3, Nurger 0-1, Carter 0-1, Holland 0-1, Brown 0-1, Cotton 0-1), N. Iowa 5-7 (Buss 1-1, Bohannon 1-1, Singleton 1-1, Tuttle 1-2, Jesperson 1-2). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Wichita St. 26 (Cotton 8), N. Iowa 26 (Tuttle 7). Assists—Wichita St. 6 (Cotton, VanVleet 3), N. Iowa 6 (Washpun 3). Total Fouls—Wichita St. 22, N. Iowa 16. A—7,050.