CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Bennett Koch scored 21 points and Northern Iowa defeated Chicago State 82-44 on Saturday. Koch, who was perfect from the field in scoring a career-high 25 points in Northern Iowa’s previous game, a 72-43 victory over Wartburg, was 7-of-9 from the field and made all seven of his free throws against the Cougars (1-4).

Freshman Tywhon Pickford pulled down 14 rebounds, his third straight game of double digits on the boards for the Panthers (3-1). Juwan McCloud added 18 points and Klint Carlson 12 points with seven rebounds.

The Cougars were led by Travon Bell, who had 12 points on 4-of-9 3-point shooting off the bench. The Panthers opened the game on a 13-0 run with five points from McCloud, and scored 17 straight points, with eight points from McCloud, toward the end of the half for a 46-21 lead. Their second-half lead never dipped below 22 points.