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GAME NOTES: The 19th-ranked Northern Iowa Panthers hit the road this evening for a Missouri Valley Conference clash with the Drake Bulldogs.

This season has been one of tremendous success for Northern Iowa, which is a stellar 21-2 to date, including 12-1 against MVC opposition. The Panthers have won their last five outings, the most recent of which was a 55-52 decision over Southern Illinois. Strong defense has been key to the club's success, as it had held five consecutive foes to fewer than 60 points.

As for Drake, it has won its last two outings to improve to 11-14 overall and 6-7 in league play. On Saturday, the Bulldogs fell to Illinois State by a 71-68 final, and they hope to better their 7-6 home record tonight.

Northern Iowa cruised to a 67-51 decision over Drake last month and leads the series by a 31-23 count as a result.

The Panthers are limiting foes to 55.0 ppg this season on 40.4 percent shooting from the field. At the offensive end, Northern Iowa is generating 64.1 ppg. Adam Koch tops the roster with 13.0 ppg, and Jordan Eglseder, a 7-0 center, checks in with 12.3 ppg and 7.7 rpg. Kwazdo Ahelegbe rounds out a trio of double-digit scorers with 11.4 ppg for the Panthers, who overcame a second- half deficit to defeat Southern Illinois on Saturday. Koch came through with 21 big points in that affair, and Ahelegbe pitched in with 10. UNI shot only 37.8 percent from the field in that affair, but a 16-8 edge in points from the foul line certainly helped the cause.

Josh Young continues to be the leading scorer for Drake, as he is netting 14.0 ppg. Ryan Wedel provides 11.6 ppg for the Bulldogs, who are getting 10.0 ppg and 7.2 rpg from Adam Templeton. Drake is generating 68.0 ppg while allowing 69.1 ppg to opponents, and the Bulldogs are being outrebounded by 6.5 rpg. Young exploded for 22 points to go with seven rebounds and five assists on Saturday, but that effort wasn't enough to avoid to narrow loss to Illinois State. Templeton tallied 15 points in that affair, and Frank Wiseler pitched in 10 points. Drake suffered a 38-25 rebounding disadvantage against the Redbirds, the most obvious reason for the setback.

The Bulldogs will be more competitive that they were in the first meeting of the season with the Panthers, but the result will be the same.