University of Northern Iowa
UW-Green Bay
Jacobson Spurs UNI to 76-65 Win over UW-Green Bay
12/15/2004 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 15, 2004
Cedar Falls, Iowa - Junior guard Ben Jacobson (Sioux City, Iowa) scored a game-high 25 points to lead the University of Northern Iowa men's basketball team to a 76-65 win over Wisconsin-Green Bay Wednesday night at the UNI-Dome.
The 6-3, 195-pound Jacobson hit 9-of-14 shots from the field, 2-of-3 on three-pointers, and all five of his free throws on the evening, topping the 20-point mark for the third time this season. He also grabbed a season-high six rebounds and added three assists.
The Panthers (5-2) never trailed, scoring the game's first six points on baskets by Jacobson, Grant Stout (New Sharon, Iowa) and Eric Coleman (Maplewood, Minn.). UW-Green Bay (5-3) pulled to within one, 15-14, on a jumper by Javier Mendiburu with 8:52 left in the first half. But UNI responded with a 13-2 run over the game's next four minutes to open a double-digit lead. UNI led 34-23 at the half.
The Phoenix made a run early in the second stanza, pulling within five, 36-31, with just over 17 minutes left. But Erik Crawford (Oakdale, Minn.) hit a three-pointer and followed that up with a layup off a UNI miss to extend UNI's lead back to 41-31.
UW-Green Bay made one last surge, pulling within six, 61-55, on a deep Mendiburu three-pointer with 5:31 left. But the Phoenix would get no closer, as three-pointers by Jacobson and Brooks McKowen (Fairbank, Iowa) over the next two minutes helped UNI build a double-digit advantage again.
UNI shot better than 50 percent from the field for the fifth consecutive game, and sixth time in seven games overall this season. The Panthers, who rank third in the nation in field goal percentage (.528), connected on 52.7 percent of their shots for the game (29-for-55). UW-Green Bay hit of 46.3 percent of its shots for the contest (25-for-54), but just 39.1 percent (9-for-23) in the first half when the Panthers raced to their halftime lead.
Stout had 12 points and eight rebounds for the Panthers. Coleman and Crawford each had nine points, and Atila Santos (Salvador, Brazil) scored eight and grabbed three rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench.
UNI's next game is Tue., Dec. 21, when it hosts the Wagner Seahawks at the UNI-Dome. Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m.
