The UNI Panthers opened the home portion of their schedule with a 73-45 victory over Alcorn State at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls Monday night (Nov. 13, 2017).

Juwan McCloud scored a career-high 18 points to lead three UNI players in double figures. Tywhon Pickford and Bennett Koch both recorded double-doubles to help the Panthers bounce back from a season-opening loss at No. 9 North Carolina Friday night. Pickford had 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Koch tallied 11 points and grabbed a team-best 13 boards.

UNI (1-1) made six of its first seven three-point shots and built a 16-point lead nine minutes in the game. Isaiah Brown's shot from behind the arc put the Panthers ahead 10-9. The basket triggered an 18-0 run that propelled UNI to a 37-27 halftime lead.

The Panthers opened the game up in the second half. They used a decisive 21-5 run in the second half to turn a 44-32 lead into a comfortable 65-37 advantage with 7:15 remaining in the game. The lead eventually got as large as 30 points.

A.J. Mosby scored 15 points to lead Alcorn State (0-3).

UP NEXT: UNI returns to action on Wednesday at 7 p.m., when the Panthers host the Wartburg Knights at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls.

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