Northern Iowa rallies to beat Men's Basketball, 54-49 :: Salukis eliminated from Missouri Valley Conference tournament in quarterfinal round.

Salukis eliminated from Missouri Valley Conference tournament in quarterfinal round.

March 8, 2008

ST. LOUIS (AP) - The Salukis' reign of dominance over the Missouri Valley Conference ended Friday night in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.

Eric Coleman scored 22 points and had 10 rebounds, while teammate Adam Viet knocked in a season-high 19 points to lead Northern Iowa to a 54-49 upset of Southern Illinois.

For the first time since the 2001 season, the Salukis (17-14) were unable to win either the regular-season or conference tournament title. Matt Shaw led SIU with 22 points and nine rebounds.

The sixth-seeded Panthers (18-13) advance to play No. 2 Illinois State Saturday in the semifinals.

The Panthers trailed 46-41 before Coleman led Northern Iowa on a charge, outscoring the Salukis 13-3 down the stretch.

Viet scored 18 of his 19 points from 3-point range, shooting 66 percent (6-for-9) from beyond the 3-point arc.

The Salukis wound up shooting 39 percent from the field (15-for-39), while the Panthers were at 44 percent, including 6-for-12 from 3-point range.

Of Coleman's 22 points, 14 came from the free throw line, including 11 in the final 7:45 of the game.