RUSTON, La. -- Ben Jacobson scored 17 points and David Gruber had 15 points and nine rebounds as Northern Iowa beat Louisiana Tech 76-71 on Saturday.

The Panthers (9-15) took a 38-32 lead at the half after hitting 15-of-27 from the floor, or 56 percent, to 13-of-34, or 38 percent, for Louisiana Tech (12-11). Northern hit 4-of-8 3-pointers before the break, while Tech hit 2-of-11, or 18 percent.

Tech outscored the Panthers 39-38 in the second half, hitting 51 percent, or 16-of-31 from the floor, to 48 percent, or 14-of-29, for Northern.

Matt Schneiderman had 15 points and seven rebounds for Northern, and Ryan Paulsen scored 12 points. Chris Foster and Pete Schmit each had four assists.

Tech's Antonio Meeking led all scorers with 23 points, hitting 9-of-15 from the field and 5-of-7 free throws. Darrian Brown added 14 for Tech, and Lavelle Felton and Michael Wilder scored 10 apiece.

Zach Davis had 10 rebounds for Tech.