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GAME NOTES: The Northern Iowa Panthers search for a much-needed win in their return to Missouri Valley Conference play Wednesday hosting Bradley at the McLeod Center.

Northern Iowa traveled to VCU this past weekend and left with a 77-68 non- conference loss. The Panthers played things close throughout and led by two at the half but were ultimately done in by a season-high 19 turnovers. UNI shot 55.6 percent from the floor and received 18 points from Deon Mitchell in the loss, its second in a row and third in four games overall. Anthony James chipped in 10 points. The Panthers stand at 7-9 in the MVC and sit within striking distance of four other teams with two games remaining.

Bradley also stepped out of conference play this past weekend but the result was familiar -- a 56-44 home loss to Loyola-Chicago. Making matters worse, the Braves had to play without leading scorer Taylor Brown, who is doubtful going forward with a torn ligament in his big toe. Without Brown, freshman Jalen Crawford led the way with 12 points while Walt Lemon, Jr. added 11 points off the bench. Bradley shot just 33.3 percent from the floor overall en route to its third consecutive defeat and ninth in 10 games overall.

Bradley got the best of UNI January 15th in Peoria, posting a 78-67 victory, and leads the all-time set by a 27-19 margin. However, the Panthers have taken seven of the last nine encounters from the Braves including a sweep of last year's series.

Not surprisingly, the Braves' last-place standing in the conference also translates into the MVC's worst offense. Bradley averages just 62.0 ppg and shoots 40.6 percent from the field -- both conference lows. The defense isn't much better, surrendering a league-high 71.5 ppg on 45.7 percent shooting. The senior Brown has been one of the few bright spots for the Braves, sitting among the conference leaders in scoring at 14.8 ppg. Brown also contributes a healthy 6.4 rebounds per contest with his production nearly impossible to duplicate given the rest of the roster. Lemon Jr. and Dyricus Simms-Edwards will have to improve on their respective 11.9 and 11.4-point averages. Simms- Edwards also paces the club in three-pointers with 46 on 34.6 percent shooting while Jordan Prosser adds a team-leading 6.8 boards and 8.3 ppg to the mix.

The Panthers rely mostly on defense and three-point shooting to get by. The offense musters a decent 66.0 points per game but on 43.9 percent shooting. The Panthers' three-point accuracy stands at 39.6 percent, second to only Creighton in the MVC, while seven different players make hefty contributions from beyond the arc. Marc Sonnen leads the team with 48 triples on 44.9 percent shooting and averages 8.6 ppg. Johnny Moran slots in next with 43 treys on 35.0 percent shooting but chips in only 7.1 ppg. James leads the team in scoring at 12.9 ppg, the Panthers' lone double-figure scorer, and has 32 three-pointers on 37.6-percent accuracy. Seth Tuttle and Jake Koch check in with 9.5 and 9.0-point averages, respectively, while the latter adds 33 triples on 34.0 percent shooting. Tuttle, meanwhile, leads the conference with an incredible 66.4 field-goal percentage. The defense does a nice job in holding teams to a league-low 62.3 ppg but on 44.1 percent shooting.

The Panthers are in a must-win situation at the bottom of that aforementioned group of teams battling for conference tourney seeding. Bradley seems ripe for the picking, especially if Brown has to sit with his injury.