Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 17, 1990 TAG: 9003172218
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Long
Maybe now, however, there might be reason to look for them.
Northern Iowa, which is in Cedar Falls, gained recognition Friday when the Panthers stunned 11th-ranked Missouri 74-71 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Southeast Regional.
In the tradition of Cleveland State, a fellow member of the Association of Mid-Continent Universities, Northern Iowa became the sixth No. 14 seed to beat a third-seeded team.
"I'm sure a lot of people were saying, `Who the heck is Northern Iowa?' " guard Cedric McCullough said. "They figured we were just another team that was lucky to get in this thing.
"We read that a No. 3 seed had lost in the first round every year [since 1985]. We liked our chances. I thought we got a hell of a draw."
Missouri had been ranked No. 1 twice this year, the last time when it was 25-2, but the Tigers had lost three of four games coming into the Richmond Coliseum.
They did not succumb easily. After falling behind 67-55 with 4:48 remaining, the Tigers outscored Northern Iowa 11-0 over a span of 2:40 to put themselves in position to win.
A three-point play by the Tigers' Nathan Buntin made it 71-71 with 29 seconds remaining, at which point the hero of the game was sitting on the bench.
On the verge of being called for a five-second violation, Northern Iowa's Troy Muilenburg called a timeout with 10 seconds left. That enabled coach Eldon Miller to insert Maurice Newby.
"My assistants suggested it," said Miller, in his fourth year at Northern Iowa after being dismissed at Ohio State. "Usually, they bombard me with suggestions. I decided to take their advice."
Newby, a 6-foot-4 junior, had been on the bench - by his best guess - for 10 minutes or more. However, he might be the team's best long-range shooter, with 34 of his 52 field goals coming from 3-point range.
The situation did not call for a 3-pointer, but when point guard Dale Turner could not penetrate and found Phyfe closely guarded inside, he handed the ball behind him to Newby.
Newby, using Turner as a screen, launched a 25-footer that swished with two seconds left. Missouri, which had used up its timeouts trying to stifle Northern Iowa's momentum, could only watch as the clock ran out.
"We were flat," Missouri coach Norm Stewart said. "I take nothing away from Northern Iowa, but we've been struggling a little bit, quite a bit, in fact."
Missouri, a 13-point favorite, had led only once all day, 2-0. Northern Iowa jumped to a 22-8 lead on the strength of five 3-pointers and finished 8-of-12 on 3-pointers for the half.
A 35-foot bomb by John McIntyre enabled Missouri to close to 42-31 at halftime, and the Tigers seemed to be taking control when they outscored Northern Iowa 7-0 to start the second half.
After a timeout, the Panthers regained their composure. Missouri lost its cool, however, when center Doug Smith picked up his fifth foul with 6:45 left.
Smith, who had sat down for more than three minutes after getting his fourth foul with 11:08 left, showed little outward emotion but received a technical foul for what he did express.
Jonathan Cox missed a one-and-one, then Muilenburg made both free throws awarded for the technical. Then, after a Missouri timeout, Muilenburg made a 10-foot jumper before the Tigers could get the ball back.
Stewart said he would observe Big Eight Conference rules and not comment on the officiating, but he did say, "You've got more slippage in a first-round game."
The irony of the situation was that Stewart became a college head coach for the first time at Northern Iowa, then known as State College of Iowa, in 1961. Stewart held the school record for victories until the Panthers matched it Friday.
Missouri, the regular-season champion in the Big Eight, finished 26-6. Buntin led Missouri with 21 points, including 10 in the final 7:05, and Smith finished with 20.
Jason Reese had 18 points and 15 rebounds to lead Northern Iowa (23-8), which won its conference tournament after finishing in a third-place tie during the regular season.
Northern Iowa has to battle for attention in a state obsessed with Iowa of the Big Ten and Iowa State of the Big Eight.
"We don't get as much recognition as the Hawkeyes or Cyclones," Reese said, "but, unfortunately, they're not in the tournament.
"Things will return to normal next year, but we're on top of the state for now."
\ IOWA (74)
McCullough 3-8 0-0 6, Phyfe 1-2 0-0 2, Reese 6-12 6-8 18, Turner 3-6 3-5 10, Muilenburg 5-9 4-6 16, Newby 3-5 0-0 9, Cox 1-1 0-1 2, Johnson 0-1 0-0 0, Hill 3-6 2-4 11, Pace 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-50 15-24 74.\ MISSOURI (71)
McIntyre 3-7 0-0 9, Smith 9-17 2-4 20, Buntin 6-14 9-9 21, Coward 5-11 0-0 10, Peeler 1-7 1-2 3, Ford 1-3 0-0 3, Horton 0-0 0-0 0, Coleman 0-0 0-0 0, Warren 1-2 3-5 5. Totals 26-61 15-20 71.
Halftime-42-31, N. Iowa. Three-point goals-N. Iowa 9-16 (Hill 3-3, Newby 3-4, Muilenburg 2-5, Turner 1-3, Johnson 0-1), Missouri 4-11 (McIntyre 3-5, Ford 1-2, Coward 0-4). Fouled out-Reese, Smith. Rebounds-N. Iowa 33 (Reese 15), Missouri 35 (Smith 12). Assists-N. Iowa 18 (Turner 6), Missouri 12 (Coward 4). Total fouls-N. Iowa 18, Missouri 22. Technical-Smith. A-11,051.
by CNB