AP #19 Northern Iowa Travels to Des Moines; Preps for ‘Dog Fight

-Associated Press #19 Northern Iowa looks for a victory in the capital city-

<AP> Seniors Adam Koch (34) and Jordan Egleseder (53) celebrate their 12th conference win of the season

Des Moines, IA– The University of Northern Iowa men’s basketball team will be back in action on the road, Wednesday, February 10th, for a match-up against Drake University in the Knapp Center.  The Panthers (21-2, 12-1 MVC) are traveling to Des Moines, where the Bulldogs (11-14, 6-7 MVC) are amidst a four game wining streak on their home court.  The Panthers are an impressive 8-1 on the road, with the only two conference road losses in the past two years coming at Wichita State.  The Bulldogs have won 5 out of the last 7 games meetings with the Panthers, however the Panthers beat Drake in Cedar Falls  in late January to a score of 67-51.

Senior forward for the Panthers, Adam Koch, is coming off of the game of his career where he scored 21 points, 11 straight points down the stretch to pull off a comeback win over Southern Illinois.  Koch is the leading scorer for Panthers averaging about 13 points a game.  The Panthers are also led in scoring by Center Jordan Egleseder, who is averging about 12.6 points and retrieving nearly 8 rebounds per contest.   Junior guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe is also contributing averaging about 11 points and about 3 assist per game.

One reason for the Panther’s success is the depth on the bench.  Besides the starting five, there are another 5 players who see a considerable amount of playing time.  Reigning Missouri Valley Sixth Man of the Year Award Lucas O’Rear, had 9 key rebounds against the Salukis on Saturday.  O’Rear is averaging about 4 points and 5 rebounds per game.  Junior Kerwin Dunham solidified the Panther’s close win over the Shockers last week. True freshmen Marc Sonnen and Jake Koch also contribute solid playing time.  The Panthers are currently second in the nation in defense allowing an average of 55 points per game behind Princeton, and in front of Old Dominion; whom the Panthers host for BracketBusters.

Drake is coming off of a close loss at Illinois State where they were defeated 68-71.  The Bulldogs are led by guard Josh Young who is averaging 14 points and 3 assists per game.  Ryan Wedel also contributes and averages 11 points per game.  The Knapp Center is expected to be a packed house as the in-state rivals collide.