DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Anthony James scored 26 points and Jake Koch added 18 as Northern Iowa pulled away for an 83-68 victory over Drake on Saturday night.
Northern Iowa (12-4, 2-2 Missouri Valley) trailed 35-34 at halftime.
About halfway through the second half, Northern Iowa went on a 13-2 run after a tie and Drake (8-7, 1-3) could not recover.
Northern Iowa got help from its bench players, who combined to score 17 points.
Northern Iowa had a successful night at free-throw line, converting 27 of 34. Koch was 13 of 14. Koch also had eight rebounds to help his team build a 34-25 advantage.
Drake's Rayvonte Rice led all scorers with 27 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Jordan Clarke had 11 rebounds.
