Northern Iowa took the lead on a costless throw with under 10 seconds remaining and withstood a last second attempt from the homestanding Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks to walk away with an early season 79-77 road victory.
The game which tipped off at 8 am local time saw 23 lead changes and 11 ties. Demetrius Floyd’s last second lay-up attempts hung tantalizingly on the rim before falling to the floor as the Panthers celebrated.
Northern Iowa placed five players in double figures led by Marvin Singleton’s 15. Deon Mitchell followed with 14 and Seth Tuttle added 13. The Lumberjacks got 20 each from Floyd and Thomas Walkup in the losing effort.
The Panthers missed 10 costless throws but had 30 overall attempts compared to just 14 for the Lumberjacks. SFA was a paltry 10 of 27 from behind the arc in the early morning hours.
Overall, the game was entertaining and tense, and despite the early hour, fans and players alike responded to the occasion. SFA, an NCAA Tournament team last spring, drops to 1-1 while the Panthers improve to 2-0 on the young season.
SFA had won 34 straight games at home.
