Seth Tuttle had 15 points, nine rebounds and three assists, leading No. 11 Northern Iowa back from an 18-point first-half deficit to beat Illinois State 69-60 in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship game on Sunday.

Nate Buss added 12 points and the Panthers (30-3) took control with a 25-4 run that erased a 36-22 deficit at the break. Jeremy Morgan had three 3-pointers in the run and Tuttle, the Valley player of the year and tournament MVP, added eight points, often getting loose from constant double-teaming.

Daishon Knight had 16 points for fourth-seeded Illinois State (21-12), which needed a win to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998. Knight had 25 points in the Redbirds' semifinal upset of top seed Wichita State.

Northern Iowa won the title for the third time in seven years and has won 19 of 20 games.