The Oklahoma Sooners built an 18-point lead during the second half. However, Northern Iowa’s Klint Carlson decided to take matters into his own hands. Scoring 18 of his 22 points in the second half, the Panthers overcame the deficit taking the game to extra minutes. Carrying all the momentum, UNI secured a 73-67 win and a spot in the finals of the Tire Pros Invitational.
Carlson’s 22-point performance led all scorers and helped Northern Iowa post a 53.6% shooting performance in the closing half of regulation. Clearly igniting a trend, the rest of the team caught on as five players recorded eight plus point for the Panthers.
On the other end of the court, Jordan Woodard racked up 36 minutes of playing time. Matching him, Rashard Odomes put in 36 minutes of playing time. Yet, the two amassed just 24 points between them. But, turnovers may be the biggest concern of the night.
Committing 24 total turnovers, led to24 points for the opposition. Simply put, ball protection must be a priority moving forward as the competition only gets more difficult. The Sooners face Clemson on Sunday in the third place game.