EditorsNote: changes to "AJ" in lede
AJ Green scored 20 points, including a 3-pointer to start a 6-0, game-ending run, and Northern Iowa beat No. 24 Colorado 79-76 on Tuesday night in Boulder, Colo.
Trae Berhow also had 20 points, Justin Dahl had 14 and Isaiah Brown added 10 for the Panthers (9-1).
Lucas Siewert led the Buffaloes with 21 points off the bench, McKinley Wright IV had 16 and Tyler Bey 14 points. Colorado (7-2) has lost two straight.
The Buffaloes led 76-73 after Wright's layup, but Green sank a tying 3-pointer with 1:10 left. A steal and a layup by Spencer Haldeman and a Green free throw put the Panthers ahead, and Colorado missed two 3-point attempts in the final seconds.
The Panthers quickly built on their one-point halftime lead. Green hit a 3-pointer on the first possession of the second half, Brown made two free throws, and after a steal by Green, Brown made another 3-pointer to give Northern Iowa a 41-32 lead in the first 78 seconds of the period.
Colorado called a timeout but missed on its next two possessions, and Haldeman hit another 3-pointer to give the Panthers a 12-point lead. Then the Buffaloes began to rally.
Eli Parquet split a pair of free throws and hit a 3-pointer, and then his steal led to a dunk by Bey. After Green missed on the other end, Wright hit a 3-pointer to cap an 8-0 run to get Colorado within three and force a Panthers timeout.
The teams traded 3-pointers and layups that kept it a three-point Northern Iowa lead, and after Green made one of two free throws, the Buffaloes scored the next seven points to take a 55-53 lead.
Berhow hit a 3-pointer to put the Panthers ahead 66-64 with 5:13 left. Colorado tied it, but Berhow was fouled on a 3-point attempt and hit all three free throws. A steal and a dunk put Northern Iowa up 71-66 with 3:56 left.
The Buffaloes went on a 10-2 run to take a three-point lead before the Panthers late six-point spurt.
--Field Level Media
