Northwestern played back-to-back games Tuesday and Wednesday, beating Miami (Ohio) but falling to Northern Iowa 61-42 in the Cancun Challenge finals.

NU (5-1) could not stop Northern Iowa forward Seth Tuttle, who led the way with 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting.

The Cats were also out-rebounded 36-28, while the Panthers’ aggressive style and extra opportunities led to 10 more free throw attempts.

The game was close until about the 10-minute mark of the first half. The Cats held an 18-14 lead when the Panthers went on a huge 17-2 run in the second part of the first half, putting NU in a 31-20 hole.

The Cats couldn’t get anything going offensively, shooting just 30 percent from the field and generating only eight free throw attempts. Freshman guard Bryant McIntosh led the way for NU with 13.

The Cats reached the final with a 55-46 win over Miami (Ohio) on Tuesday.

It was a game of runs in the semifinal. The RedHawks started out strong, scoring the first 6 points. Later in the half, the Cats engineered a 17-4 spurt to take a 25-20 lead. A Tre Demps three-pointer with just two seconds left in the half gave NU a 31-25 lead.

The Cats were up 38-28 early in the second half, but the RedHawks chipped away and tied the game with 6:12 remaining. NU’s offense finally found a groove, going on a 9-0 run jumpstarted by two quick baskets from center Alex Olah.

Olah and freshman forward Vic Law led the way for the Cats, both scoring 13 apiece.

NU will get a much needed break from action, with its next game occurring in Evanston on Dec. 3 against Georgia Tech.

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