Men's Basketball Grind Past The Sycamores, 69-64

Wednesday, January 16

Cedar Falls, Iowa

7 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

8-10, 3-2MVC

Indiana State University - $1 hotdogs

10-7, 2-3MVC

Indiana State

UNI

Men's Basketball Grind Past The Sycamores, 69-64

1/16/2019 10:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The UNI men's basketball teams took on the Sycamores of Indiana State in the McLeod Center on Wednesday night with the Panthers coming out on top 69-64.

The Panthers got out to a great start in the first half, leading by as many as 12 points. Led by Spencer Haldeman's 14 first-half points and three made three pointers, the Panthers took a one point lead into halftime.

The Panthers and Sycamores traded leads early in the second half. The Panthers reclaimed the lead with just under ten minutes remaining in the game and never looked back. The Panthers 35 second-half points were enough to close out the Sycamores and move the Panthers to 3-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference.

The Panthers defense has given up the fewest points in Valley play so far this season and contained the league's leading scorer. The Sycamores Jordan Barnes finished with 15 points on the night shooting 4 for 14 from the field. Tyreke Key entered the game fifth in league scoring but was held to 7 points.

A big night for Spencer Haldeman who finished with a team-high 21 points. Haldeman went 7 of 13 from the field and 4 of 8 from beyond the three-point arc.

Tywhon Pickford added 12 points, going 1-2 from the field and making all 10 of his free throw attempts. Pickford led the Panthers in rebounding, hauling in 8 total rebounds and finished with two assists. Luke McDonnell also hauled in eight rebounds and finished with a team-leading five assists.

UP NEXT

The Panthers will now hit the road for a Saturday showdown with the Crusaders of Valparaiso. The Crusaders are currently 11-7 on the season and hold a 4-1 Missouri Valley Conference record. The Crusaders average 70.1 points per game while holding MVC opponents under 61 points per game. Valparaiso's Ryan Fazekas averages 12.7 points per game and leads all Crusaders in scoring. The Panthers and Crusaders will take the floor at 3 pm and the game can be viewed on ESPN3.