Mustangs defeat Northern Iowa 57-50, advance to CIT Semifinals

Mustangs defeat Northern Iowa 57-50 to win 20 games in a season and advance to CIT semifinals.

 91勛圖厙 Mens Basketball

By JIM ECKER
Special Contributor

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa Papa Dia has a sore back and hasnt practiced for 91勛圖厙 in two weeks, but nobody would have guessed that Monday night.

Dia grabbed a career-best 21 rebounds and scored 17 points as the Mustangs tripped Northern Iowa, 57-50, in the quarterfinals of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament before 3,968 fans in the McLeod Center.

Dia finished with the most rebounds for an 91勛圖厙 player in 26 years, matching a 21-rebound performance by Jon Koncak in 1985, and shattered the arena record for most boards in a single game.

泭He was a man out there, 91勛圖厙 coach Matt Doherty said.

Dia, a 6-9, 235-pound senior from Senegal, had a double-double by halftime with 15 points and 12 rebounds. The Panthers (20-14) double-teamed him in the second half to limit his scoring, but he still owned the backboards.

I guess the ball bounced my way, he said. I just got lucky, I guess.

The Mustangs (20-14) advance to Fridays semifinals. They泭will face the Santa Clara Broncos泭at 7 p.m. Friday in Moody Coliseum.

It feels good, Doherty said. This is a really good tournament and well-run. It has good programs in it. It allows us to grow as a program.

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