CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Northern Iowa was supposed to be in a rebuilding year.
An upset victory over the nation's top-ranked team has certainly changed that narrative.
Wes Washpun scored 21 points and Northern Iowa stunned top-ranked North Carolina 71-67 on Saturday -- just a week after losing to Colorado State at home.
The Panthers used a 29-8 stretch over 12 minutes of the second half to turn a 50-34 deficit into a 63-58 lead, and held on for the upset.
"They had to play their tails off in that second half. The game was just about over with 15 minutes left and our guys hung in there and made a couple shots," Northern Iowa Coach Ben Jacobson said. "That last 10 minutes, I couldn't ask any more from our guys."
Northern Iowa (2-1) also got 19 points from Matt Bohannon -- whose three-pointer with 2:51 left gave Northern Iowa the lead for good -- and 14 points from Paul Jesperson.
Justin Jackson had 25 points for the Tar Heels (3-1), who didn't force a single turnover in the second half.
North Carolina star Marcus Paige, who grew up in nearby Marion, Iowa, didn't play in what was supposed to be a homecoming game because of a broken bone in his right hand.
The Tar Heels missed him , since Paige's replacement, Joel Berry, had five points on 2-of-7 shooting.
"To have something like this happen this early in the season ... to have it happen for our guys is great. It's a great way for them to build a little momentum and build some confidence. We all know had Marcus played, the game could've been very different," Jacobson said.
North Carolina appeared to be in control in the first half. But Washpun made a half-court three-pointer at the buzzer to pull the Panthers within 41-32, and Jeremy Morgan's three-pointer cut it to 52-48.
Wyatt Lohaus gave Northern Iowa the lead with 9:21 left, and the Panthers were able to finish off one of the biggest upsets of the young season.
It was the biggest victory for Northern Iowa since 2010, when it stunned top-seeded Kansas to reach the Sweet Sixteen.
"I told [Jacobson] I felt great for him and his squad. Very disappointed in me, more so than my team," North Carolina Coach Roy Williams said. "We acted like a team that had not been coached very well."
In other games involving Top 25 teams, Ron Baker scored 23 points and No. 9 Wichita State bounced back from its first November loss since 2011 to beat Emporia State 76-54. Landry Shamet and Ty Taylor had nine points each for the Shockers (2-1). … Zach Auguste scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and No. 18 Notre Dame earned an 83-57 victory over UMass Lowell. Demetrius Jackson had 15 points and five assists for the Irish (3-0). … Shonn Miller had 18 points and seven rebounds for UConn in an 83-58 victory over Furman. Freshman guard Jalen Adams had 14 points and six assists, and Rodney Purvis added 13 points for UConn (3-0). Matt Rafferty had 15 points for Furman (2-2). … Center A.J. Hammons scored 12 of his 18 points in the first half for Purdue in the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament as the Boilermakers defeated Old Dominion 61-39. Kendall Stephens sparked a second-half run with nine of his 12 points for Purdue (4-0). Trey Freeman led Old Dominion (3-1) with 17 points.
Sports on 11/22/2015