CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - The Shockers came up just three points short of their upset mission, succumbing to the No. 22 Panthers of Northern Iowa on their home floor Wednesday night, 59-56.

Playing in front of the first sold out crowd of the season at McLeod Center, the Shockers were up to the task of taking on the crowd of nearly 7,000.

Sophomore guard Toure' Murry got the Shocks rolling with 10 first-half points. He finished with 17, including four clutch threes. Junior forward Gabe Blair played an intense 23 minutes that resulted in 12 points, including four free throws on a night where the Shockers' lockdown accuracy from the charity stripe faltered.

On the other end of the floor, junior guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe erupted for 14 second-half points. His 18 points on Wednesday led all scorers while his 8-of-18 performance helped keep the Panthers at a sub-40 percent shooting night. Senior center Jordan Eglseder chipped in 15 points, 11 of which he put up in the final 20 minutes.

In the first half, the Shocks showed their hot hand early when Murry and junior guard Graham Hatch buried back-to-back threes to take a quick, 8-5 lead. As predicted, the Panther guards brought their game, as well. Threes from Ali Farokhmanesh and Ahelegbe knotted the score to give the Panthers a different start than their trip to Wichita on Jan. 19, where the Shocks jumped out to a lopsided lead.

Racking up seven points in six minutes, Murry hit a short jumper to give the Shocks a strong 55-percent shooting mark in the opening minutes. Blair added to it, giving the Shocks the 16-10 edge at the second media timeout.

In the meantime, WSU's defense quieted the Panthers early. Nine minutes in, the Shocks held the Panthers to just 3-of-15 makes from the floor. The Shockers also quickly gained the edge on the team foul count. WSU found UNI in the bonus with nine minutes to play which sent senior point guard Clevin Hannah to the bench, while the Panthers committed just one team foul in the same time frame.

The Panthers took advantage.

Adam Koch sank both free throws after Hannah's second foul sent him to the line. Farokhmanesh hit his second long ball of the night to close the gap further before Eglseder's layup tied the score, 20-20, capping a 10-2 Panther run.

Offensive rebounds began to offset the Shockers' hot shooting start. Although continuing to shoot over 50 percent, the Panthers' 7-0 edge on the offensive glass at the seven-minute mark helped to eradicate the Shocks' early eight-point lead. Kerwin Dunham's three gave the Panthers their first lead since the 2-0 point and a layup from Lucas O'Rear successfully swung the momentum back in the home team's favor by the half's final media timeout.

Despite a five-minute scoring drought, the Shocks found themselves in a tie ballgame after Murry drained a three to beat the shot clock. Hannah nailed his first bucket of the game to give his team the 28-27 edge at the break.

A drastic comparison to the first 20 minutes, the foul count landed in favor of the Shockers to start the second half. The Panthers were whistled for six fouls to WSU's two not quite four minutes into the half. Two minutes later, the Shockers were in the bonus, starting with a pair from Blair to keep the lead, 35-33.

Panther guard Johnny Moran's fourth foul put the Shockers in the double bonus with 9:30 to play. Uncharacteristically, the Shockers went cold from the line. Tied at 40-40, Hatch - an 80-percent free throw shooter - missed both. Known nationally for their accuracy from the line, the Shockers were just 6-for-13 with more than eight minutes on the clock. They finished at 10-for-17.

In the meantime, Ahelegbe stepped up for his team, scoring six straight for the Panthers. Eglseder converted another three-point play to build the biggest lead of the half, 47-41.

Ignoring the crowd, the Shocks stepped up, too. Hannah and Blair combined for a quick 5-0 Shocker rally to cut the deficit to one. Again Ahelegbe responded. His 5-0 run gave his team the 53-46 cushion under the four-minute mark.

Down eight with just over two minutes to play, the Shockers went to work. Back-to-back threes from Murry and JT Durley quickly slashed the Panther lead, 58-56. A missed three from Dunham returned the ball to the Shocks without a shot clock.

Murry's magic as a contested three-point specialist ran out one shot too soon. His attempt from three-point range came up short. One more Panther free throw cemented the Panther win, 59-56.

The Shockers return home to take on Indiana State on Sat., Feb. 6. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m.