Panther men's basketball hosts Bradley in midweek MVC contest

UNI men's basketball vs. Bradley

7 p.m. CT | Feb. 2
Cedar Falls, Iowa | McLeod Center (6,650)
Panther Sports Network / ESPN+: (Eric Braley: Play-by-Play / Kevin Lehman: Analyst)
1540 KXEL: Panther Sports Radio Network (Gary Rima: Play-by-Play / Kevin Boyle: Analyst)

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- Riding a two-game winning streak, UNI men's basketball will play host to the Bradley Braves this Wednesday night at the McLeod Center in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) action.

The Panthers open up the month of February following a 79-64 win over Illinois State at home last weekend. UNI struggled to shoot the ball from the field in the first half, but took control in the second with an impressive 75% shooting performance, building a 23-point lead thanks to a 16-3 run out of halftime. AJ Green finished the afternoon with a game-high 24 points on 6 total three-point field goals. Noah Carter notched 21 points with 3 assists and 2 steals, while Tytan Anderson posted an 8-point performance against the Redbirds. Off the bench, Bowen Born scored 7 points, as Trae Berhow led the Panthers with 6 rebounds, plus 6 points and 2 steals. Nate Heise also recorded 5 points and 5 rebounds in the win.

Bradley comes to Cedar Falls on a four-game winning streak, most recently defeating Indiana State 67-52 on Saturday in Peoria. The Braves led from start to finish against the Sycamores, with Rienk Mast leading the way with a 20-point, 14 rebound double-double. Malevy Leons also notched a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, as well as 3 blocks and 3 steals. Terry Roberts recorded 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists for the Braves.

UNI dropped the first meeting of the season to Bradley back on Dec. 1 in Peoria to open MVC play when the Panthers missed a game-winning three-point shot as time expired in regulation, falling 71-69 to the Braves. AJ Green notched the second of his three 30+ point games this season with a 30-point performance, shooting 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. Noah Carter scored 20 points in the loss, as Nate Heise posted an 8-point, four rebound game. Trae Berhow led UNI off the boards with 6 rebounds, while Cole Henry scored 4 points and dished out a game-high 4 assists.

While Bradley has won the last two matchups, UNI still leads the all-time series 36-33, having won 3 of the past 5 games. Both the Panthers and Braves have gone 9-5 since last meeting in December. During that 14-game stretch, UNI has averaged 79.3 points per game, while Bradley has posted 73.4 points a game.

PANTHER NOTES

Both UNI and Bradley enter Wednesday's game with at least one 4-game winning streak in MVC play this season. The Panthers won 5 straight league games to start January, while the Braves have won their last 4 MVC games.
Noah Carter has scored at least 15 points in 8 of UNI's 10 conference games this season, including a career-high 33 points at Valparaiso on Jan. 19.
The Panthers have made at least 10 free throws in 12 of the last 13 games, as well as 21+ free throws in 3 of the last 7 games.
AJ Green ranks 2nd in the Missouri Valley Conference in points per game in league play (21.9), trailing Missouri State's Isiah Mosley (24.1). Noah Carter is 4th in the MVC with 17.3 points a game in conference only games.
AJ Green is 2nd the MVC with an 88.5% mark at the free throw line. Green is also leading the league in made free throws this season (85).
UNI's offense has averaged 73.6 points per game at home in the McLeod Center this season. The Panthers have scored 81.6 points a game at home facing off against MVC opponents.
The Panther defense has allowed 65.3 points per game in 10 home games, including 69.2 points against visiting conference teams.
AJ Green is 36 three-point field goals from passing Matt Bohannon (2012-16) as UNI's all-time leading three-point shooter.
Austin Phyfe is 36 points from passing his father, Steve Phyfe, in career points scored for the Panthers. Steve Phyfe, who played at UNI from 1987-90 and was part of the program's first-ever NCAA Division I Tournament team in 1990, scored 912 career points for the Panthers, ranking 55th in program history.

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