CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (Interstat) — Illinois-Chicago used a strong second half to overtake Northern Iowa and secure a 69-61 men’s basketball victory Tuesday night at McLeod Center.

The Flames trailed 32-29 at halftime but outscored the Panthers 40-29 after the break. The win avenged a six-point home loss to Northern Iowa just under a month ago. A crowd of 3,344 watched the Missouri Valley Conference game.

The result improved Illinois-Chicago to 8-10 overall. Northern Iowa, which entered the game with an 87.6% win probability according to Interstat’s ELO system, fell to 12-6.