CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Jake Koch scored 17 points, Seth Tuttle added 14 and Northern Iowa never trailed Wednesday in a 76-59 victory over Northern Colorado. Koch added seven rebounds and was 6 of 8 from the field. Marc Sonnen chipped in 12 points for the Panthers (5-3), who improved to 5-0 at home. Nate Buss, who scored a career-high 17 points against Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Saturday, had just five in this one. Tevin Svihovec had 16 points and Paul Garnica scored 15 off the bench for the Bears (1-5), who lost their fifth straight.

A 16-0 first-half run put Northern Iowa ahead 27-6 halfway through the period. Buss made a 3-pointer before Nate Bohannon hit two from long range, and Koch capped the run with a three-point play. The Panthers led 40-29 at halftime and increased that advantage to as many as 25 in the second half. UNI shot 52 percent from the field.