Panther men's basketball falls short at Belmont

Saturday, January 14

Nashville, Tenn.

4 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

9-9,5-3MVC

Belmont

13-6,6-2MVC

UNI

Belmont

Panther men's basketball falls short at Belmont

1/14/2023 6:53:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score FINAL STATS

UNI rallies from 16-point deficit in final minutes, but falls 76-72. Panthers return home Tuesday vs. Illinois State

NASHVILLE --- UNI men's basketball rallied back in the final minutes from a 16-point deficit and a barrage of three-point baskets in the first half, but ultimately came up short in its comeback attempt as the Panthers fell to the Belmont Bruins on Saturday afternoon at the Curb Event Center.

UNI and Belmont exchanged baskets for the opening four and a half minutes before the Bruins found a spark from beyond the three-point line. The Bruins shot an impressive 71% from the floor in the opening stanza, knocking down 10 three-point baskets on 16 attempts to open up a 16-point advantage on the Panthers. A key bright spot for UNI came on the defensive end as the Panthers were able to force 10 Belmont turnovers and notch 15 points off Bruin giveaways. Scoring came at a premium down the stretch of the first half as the Panther defense held Belmont scoreless for three and a half of the final seven minutes of the period, heading to the locker room trailing 44-31.

Both the Panther offense and defense stepped up greatly in the second half as UNI shot 51.5% from the field and held the Bruins under 35%. Thanks to an impressive effort by the Panther bench that scored 17 points, UNI gradually chipped away at Belmont's 16-point lead and making it a single-digit game for the final 4 minutes. UNI was able to hold the Bruins without a made field goal for the final 4:08 and pulled within one possession in the final minute of play. Belmont however was able to ice the game away in the seconds with a set of free throws by Isaiah Walker and Ben Sheppard to hand UNI the 4-point loss.

Trey Campbell led the Panthers with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting with 3 rebounds and a pair of steals, while Michael Duax recorded 12 points with 4 boards in the loss. Tytan Anderson posted an 11-point, 9 rebound game with 2 steals, as Drew Daniel scored 9 points with 3 rebounds off the bench. Landon Wolf hit a pair of three-point shots as part of an 8-point performance, with Bowen Born scoring 7 points.

PANTHER NOTES

Saturday's matchup between UNI and Belmont was the first meeting between the two programs all-time.
UNI tied its season-low with only 6 turnovers while forcing 14 Bruin turnovers. The Panthers ended the game outscoring Belmont 21-0 on points off turnovers.
Despite struggling to rebound early in the game, the Panthers outrebounded the Bruins 30-28, including 8-5 in offensive boards.
58% of Belmont's shot attempts from the floor came from beyond the three-point arc on Saturday.

UP NEXT
UNI returns home on Wednesday night as the Panthers play host to Illinois State, seeking to sweep the Redbirds in the regular season for a second straight season. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT at the McLeod Center.