Stout Defense Lifts Panthers over Valparaiso, 64-53

Saturday, February 23

Cedar Falls, Iowa

7 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

14-15, 9-7MVC

Valparaiso University - Wear PURPLE

14-15, 7-9MVC

Valparaiso

UNI

Stout Defense Lifts Panthers over Valparaiso, 64-53

2/23/2019 9:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The UNI men's basketball team took on the Crusaders of Valparaiso in the McLeod Center on Saturday night, defeating the Crusaders 64-53 to move to 9-7 in the MVC.

The Panthers went up early in the first half and never let up, taking a seven-point lead into the halftime. Freshman AJ Green led the way with 12 first-half points going 5-7 from the field and 2-3 from beyond the three-point arc.

The Panthers defense played very well in the first half, recording 3 steals and blocked shot and forcing six Crusader turnovers.

The Crusaders fought back to within one point in the second half, holding the Panther offense to just two field goals in the opening ten minutes. The Panthers got hot in the final ten minutes of play, scoring 25 points. The Panthers outscored the Crusaders 34-30 in the second half to secure their ninth MVC victory.

AJ Green again led the Panthers in scoring, recording 22 points and a team-high 5 rebounds. Forward Luke McDonnell shot 50 percent from the field and went 7-8 from the free throw line for 13 points.

Isaiah Brown went 3-6 from the field for 9 points and recorded a team-high 4 steals, the second highest mark of the season after recording 5 steals against Southern Illinois on Jan 23.

Luke McDonnell and Wyatt Lohaus each added 3 assists to lead the Panthers while McDonnell also added 2 steals.

UP NEXT

The Panthers will take on the 17-11 Ramblers of Loyola Wednesday, Feb. 27. The Ramblers are 10-5 in the MVC this season and play Southern Illinois on Sunday, Feb. 24. The UNI ticket office will offer a buy one, get one ticket opportunity to fans for the final home game of the season. Fans who drop off school supplies at the ticket office will have a chance to get a free ticket with the purchase of another ticket. The offer will run from Mon-Wed from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

THE PRESENTATION

UNI Athletic Director David Harris accepted the men's basketball invitation to the 2019 Cancun Challenge on Saturday night. 2019 Cancun Challenge representative John Paxton presented Harris with a decorative guitar during a media timeout. The Panthers will be part of an eight-team field playing in the Riviera Division with Wichita State, West Virginia, and South Carolina. UT Martin, Gardner-Webb, Boston University, and Northern Colorado will be playing in the Mayan Division. The Panthers will play two games against teams from the Mayan Division and then play two games in bracket play from Nov 26-27 at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya.