Missouri State Bears at Northern Iowa Panthers

No. 23 Northern Iowa beats Missouri State 60-46

But the Panthers also have a bona fide star in Seth Tuttle, who showed Sunday why he's among the nation's most underrated big men.

Tuttle scored 22 points with 10 rebounds and No. 23 Northern Iowa cruised past Missouri State 60-46 on Sunday for its fifth straight win.

"He's playing at a high level right now," Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson said. "He's making a lot of good plays."

Deon Mitchell had 11 points for the Panthers (16-2, 5-1 MVC), who moved into a tie for second place in the Valley with Indiana State with the win.

Northern Iowa made quick work of the overmatched Bears (8-10, 2-4), who only dressed nine players.

The Panthers pushed a 12-point halftime lead to 47-30 midway through the second half and won by double digits for the fourth consecutive game.

Austin Ruder had 13 points for Missouri State, which played its second game without suspended star Marcus Marshall.

It was clear from the opening possession that the Panthers were focused on feeding Tuttle in the post.

Missouri State simply had no way of stopping him.

"He's a great player," Missouri State coach Paul Lusk said of Tuttle. "If you stay one-on-one on him, he's going to score. He's got tremendous footwork."

Marvin Singleton scored 10 points with nine rebounds for Northern Iowa, which sits a game behind No. 13 Wichita State (16-2, 6-0) in the Valley.

The Panthers and Shockers meet for the first time on Jan. 31 in Cedar Falls.

"Our defense has been improving," Mitchell said. "We've just playing a lot more aggressive."

TIP-INS

Missouri State: Marshall, the team's leading scorer at 19.5 points per game, was suspended on Wednesday by Lusk for detrimental conduct. The school announced Friday that Marshall will transfer to another school at the end of the spring semester. Marshall's departure left the Bears without a starter averaging more than 8.5 points a game.

STAT LINES

Northern Iowa outrebounded Missouri State 37-26. The Panthers also matched their win total from 2013-14 with 12 games left in the regular season.

COURTSIDE

Jacobson delayed the start of his post-game press conference so he and everyone else in the media room could catch the end of the NFC Championship Game. "Hey, I'm a sports fan too," Jacobson said.

UP NEXT

Northern Iowa hosts Indiana State on Wednesday.

Missouri State hosts No. 13 Wichita State on Wednesday.

How can I watch Missouri State vs. Northern Iowa?

• TV Channel: Missouri State at Northern Iowa 2021 College Basketball, week 10, is broadcasted on ESPNU.
• Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo Free trial.
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