For a fourth consecutive game, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men’s basketball team found itself on the wrong side of the scoreboard, losing 69-58 Sunday, Nov. 19, at Northern Iowa.

In the first men’s basketball game ever played at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa, the home team took the lead early and never looked back.

Eric Coleman led all scorers with 15 points and was one of four starters for the Panthers of Northern Iowa to reach double-digits. Teammates Brooks McKowen, Travis Brown and Jared Josten finished with 12, 11 and 10, respectively. Grant Stout, The only UNI starter not in double-figures, came close with nine points and eight rebounds.

For the Panthers of UWM, Paige Paulsen’s 14 points led the team in the losing effort. Avery Smith followed back-to-back 20-plus games with nine points, while Kevin Massiah added seven points and five boards off the bench.

Aside from sharing the same moniker, the two teams shared the lead early in the first half at 4-4 before six straight points from Northern Iowa. UNI led by as many as 12 in the first half and went into halftime with a 28-20 advantage.

A lay-up from Marcus Skinner and a Paulsen three-pointer brought UWM within four points after the break at 29-25, but UNI countered with a 17-2 run to go up 46-27. The 19-point lead tied its largest of the game.

The visiting Panthers narrowed the lead slightly, but the home team proved to be too physical on its way to dominating UWM in the paint by 14 points. UNI reclaimed its 19-point margin at 62-43 prior to a 15-7 run by UW-Milwaukee to end the game.

Rob Jeter’s Panthers shot just 37.5 percent on the game, including a dismal 30.5 percent in the first half. By comparison, Northern Iowa finished at 54.7 percent from the field.

The loss knocks UWM to 1-4 on the young season, and marks the first time since 1998-99 that it has dropped four straight games. With the win, Northern Iowa improves to 3-1, with its only loss coming to the nationally ranked Washington Huskies.

The game was just the third meeting between the two schools, and the first since 1975, with the teams splitting the first two match ups.

UWM will next face Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant, Mich., at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

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