WICHITA, Kan. - No. 16 Wichita State fell to 9-3 on the season and 0-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play with a 63-59 loss to Northern Iowa (11-2, 1-0) Saturday night inside Charles Koch Arena.

The Shockers were led by Kyle Wilson's 18 points. Phil Thomasson and Matt Braeuer also reached double-figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively. The Panthers had three players reach double-figures, led by Grant Stout's 17 points. Brooks McKowen finished with 13 points while Eric Coleman had a double-double, registering 11 points and 11 rebounds.

WSU got off to a fast start thanks to a layup by P.J. Couisnard and three-pointer by Wilson in the first two minutes of the game. UNI answered back with a McKowen layup and free-throws by Travis Brown. The Shockers stretched the lead as Couisnard found Thomasson cutting to the basket for a dunk and a Wilson jumper on the next possession.

UNI answered every Shocker run and pulled within three, 25-22, after a three-point play by McKowen with less than a minute to go in the half. Thomasson had 10 of WSU's 25 points at halftime to lead all scorers.

The Shockers opened the second half on a 9-4 run, keyed by a Sean Ogirri three-point basket, to give WSU its largest lead of the game, 34-26, with 16:56 to play. McKowen and Adam Viet led the comeback for UNI. A layup and two free-throws from McKowen followed by back-to-back three-pointers by Viet gave the Panthers their first lead of the game, 38-36, with 13:21 to play.

A 7-0 WSU run, capped by a Braeuer three-pointer, gave the Shockers their last lead of the game, 52-50, with 5:17 left. Once again, UNI answered with a 6-0 run to take the lead for good. The Shockers got within three with in the last minute, but a Wilson three-pointer fell short with two seconds left. Coleman put the game out of reach with a free-throw to make the final score, 63-59.

The Panthers held WSU to just 36 percent shooting in the game, including a paltry 5-for-25 from behind the arc. UNI capitalized on its free-throw opportunities, making more from the charity-stripe than the Shockers attempted.

“We aren't executing at a high enough level offensively,” head coach Mark Turgeon said. “Teams aren't going to let Sean (Ogirri) beat them. Other guys have to step up.”

WSU will ring-in the new year with its first Valley road game of the season, traveling to Carbondale, Ill., to take on Southern Illinois (10-2, 1-0). Tip-off is at 7:05 p.m. and will be televised on Fox Sports Net, cable channel 34.   

- Wichita State -