NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT : Northern Iowa Stuns Missouri

It was the biggest upset so far in the men’s NCAA Division I basketball tournament--a 14th-seeded team from an obscure conference beating a third-seeded team from among the nation’s elite. A team with no NCAA tournament experience beating a team that ranked No. 1 in the nation before a late-season slump.

“This team has been remarkably good in close games,” Northern Iowa’s Coach Eldon Miller said after the Panthers’ 74-71 victory over Big Eight power Missouri in Friday’s opening round of the Southeast Regional at Richmond, Va. “I’ve never coached a team that’s handled close games so well.”

Marcus Newby made a three-point basket with one second left as the Panthers, winners of the Assn. of Mid-Continent Universities tournament, won their first NCAA tournament game. Their next opponent will be Minnesota, which beat Texas El Paso, 64-61, in overtime.

“We wanted them to shoot the ball with a hand in their face,” Missouri Coach Norm Stewart said. “Under ordinary circumstances, we don’t think that ball will go in.”

Troy Mullenburg and Brad Hill provided the outside shooting and Jason Reese added inside scoring and rebounding as the Panthers built a 12-point lead with 4:49 to play.

But the No. 11 Tigers used an 8-0 run to cut the deficit, and Nathan Buntin tied the score, 71-71, when he made a layup with 29 seconds left, was fouled by Reese and sank the free throw.

It was the fifth personal for Reese, who finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds, 11 on the defensive end.

Northern Iowa (23-8) brought the ball up and called time out with 10 seconds left. Newby, who finished with nine points, worked himself free on the left wing and took the winning shot.

“I was only going to take the shot if I was open,” said Newby, a 6-2 junior guard who led Northern Iowa by making 52.9% of his three-point shots this season. “I was open and I didn’t rush it.”

Missouri was unable to get the ball in play before time ran out.

“This was the biggest game we’ve played in four years, but then, a school like us doesn’t play any little ones,” said Miller, in his fourth season at Northern Iowa. He had taken Western Michigan and Ohio State to the NCAA tournament earlier in his coaching career. “Words can’t describe what this means to me, to the players, to the school and the community.”

The win gave the Panthers a 2-1 record against major teams this season. They lost to Georgetown, 83-49, in December and beat Iowa, 77-74, in January.

Mullenburg finished with 16 points and Hill 11 for Northern Iowa. Buntin led Missouri with 21 points, including 14 in the second half.

Missouri (26-6), which lost to Colorado in the first round of the Big Eight Conference tournament last weekend, lost four of its final five games.

“We were flat today,” Stewart said, “but it doesn’t take anything away from their effort. We didn’t get up in their face in the first half.”

Mullenburg scored seven points and Hill six in an 18-4 run that gave Northern Iowa an early 25-11 lead. The Panthers made all six of their shots in the run, including five from three-point range.

Northern Iowa made eight of 12 three-point shots en route to a 42-31 halftime lead.

Missouri shot 38% in the first half, and the taller Tigers were frequently limited to one shot by an aggressive man-to-man defense that collapsed quickly to rebound.