Northern Iowa vs. Iowa State: Score, Twitter Reaction from 2015 Regular Season

The Northern Iowa Panthers knocked the No. 5 Iowa State Cyclones from the ranks of the unbeaten Saturday, 81-79, thanks to two late free throws from Wes Washpun.

The two teams were red-hot from the floor, but the difference was Iowa State's inability to hit shots from beyond the arc. The Cyclones went 3-of-17 from three-point range, while the Panthers were 13-of-22. 

Washpun was the shining star for Northern Iowa, finishing with a team-high 28 points and game-high 11 assists in the win. He scored the team's last three points, all from the free-throw line, to secure the victory. 

Iowa State was 9-0 coming into the game, having reached the Top Five in the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 1996-97.

The win marks Northern Iowa's second of the season against a top-five opponent, previously knocking off North Carolina on Nov. 21 when the Tar Heels were No. 1 in the AP poll. 

According to John Sears of WHO-HD in Des Moines, Northern Iowa has done something this season that hasn't been done in 50 years:

Of course, winning games against highly ranked opponents has become old hat for Northern Iowa, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Against Iowa State, Northern Iowa head coach Ben Jacobson owns a 5-2 career record. He's found the magic formula against one of the Big 12's best and most consistent programs. 

Speaking after the win, per Chris Williams of 1460 KXnO, Washpun said the Panthers "just really want to prove that we can play with anybody." No one can deny Northern Iowa's credentials now after defeating the Cyclones. 

For Jacobson, his stock will continue to rise as the season continues. Tim Doyle of 120Sports.com noted one prominent job opening that could be in Jacobson's future after the win:

While there will be time to debate Jacobson's next coaching stop, he said following the game that Iowa State's pressure forced his players to pick up the intensity, per Williams:

According to ESPN Stats & Info, the combination of Washpun and Paul Jesperson had career nights to help Northern Iowa pull off the upset:

Per Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register, Jesperson summed up his team's attitude in these marquee games:

In a losing effort, Iowa State star Georges Niang did all he could with 30 points, four rebounds and four assists. The Cyclones trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half and briefly tied the game at 66 with less than eight minutes to play. 

Jesperson made one of his seven three-pointers on Northern Iowa's next possession to halt Iowa State's momentum. 

This win should serve as a jumping-off point for the Panthers, who have been erratic in their 7-3 start. They came into Saturday having lost two of their last three games by a combined 34 points to Richmond and New Mexico. 

Iowa State will have some time to figure out what went wrong before going on the road for a showdown with No. 23 Cincinnati. The Cyclones have not faced a ranked opponent this season, so head coach Steve Prohm has a lot of work to do to keep his team on track before starting conference play after the new year. 

Post-Game Reaction

After an emotional win against an in-state rival, per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com), Jacobson told reporters his players have a knack for stepping up big moments. 

"That's something I really like about our guys: They have the ability to rise to the occasion," Jacobson said.  

Per the AP, Washpun said he believes that the matchup between these two teams in December 2013, a 91-82 overtime victory by Iowa State, prepared the Panthers for this moment. 

"We played these guys a couple of years ago and felt like we let one get away there," Washpun told reporters. "The guys who played in that decided we weren't going to let that happen again."

However, per Birch, Washpun did give praise to Iowa State after the game:

Iowa State head coach Steve Prohm, who is in his first year with the program after taking over for Fred Hoiberg, said in the same AP report that defense was the problem for his team. 

"We just, defensively in the first half, weren't very good," Prohm said. "Our guys did a better job in the second half locking in. We just weren't able to finish. We'll learn from it."

The Cyclones were fortunate to make the game as close as they did because Northern Iowa shot 58 percent overall. Prohm is still getting a feel for his players on the roster, so there is nowhere for this team to go but up after a hiccup knocked them down a couple of pegs.