UNI Matches School Record With 15th-Straight Win; Blows Out Bradley, 56-39 [VIDEO]

For the second-straight game, UNI used its imposing defense to shutdown an opponent.

The 11th-ranked Panthers took control of Bradley in the second-half and beat the Braves, 56-39, inside a sold-out McLeod Center Saturday afternoon (February 21, 2015).

The victory was the 15th in a row for UNI (26-2, 15-1 MVC) , matching the school record it established in 2009-2010. The win was also UNI's 17th-straight at home, dating back to last season.

Bradley (8-21, 3-13) challenged UNI for about 20 minutes Saturday. The Braves deliberately drained the shot clock whenever it could in an effort to keep the ball away from UNI. Defensively, they used their size to neutralize UNI star Seth Tuttle (Sheffield, Iowa), who was limited to nine points and eight rebounds for the Panthers.

UNI's lead at halftime was 27-23.

After intermission, the Panthers' defense turned the game into a blowout. UNI allowed just seven points in the opening 12:37 of the second half, using a pressing defense to throw Bradley out of rhythm. The Panthers pushed their lead to 44-30 with just over 10 minutes left. UNI outscored the Braves 22-5 during a 13:27 stretch of the second half.

The second-half effort resulted in UNI's seventh-straight double-digit victory. Bradley is the second-consecutive opponent the Panthers have held to just 39 points. The Braves are the fourth team that UNI has held to 40 points or less during Missouri Valley Conference play.

Nate Buss (Charles City, Iowa) and Wes Washpun (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) each scored 11 points off the bench for the Panthers.Josh Cunningham and Nate Wells each had six points to lead Bradley.

UP NEXT: UNI completes its home schedule on Wednesday at 8 p.m. The Panthers host Evansville, the only team they've lost to in league play.