Panther men's basketball gears up for first MVC meeting with UIC

UNI men's basketball at UIC

1 p.m. CT | Jan. 21, 2023
Chicago, Ill. | Credit Union 1 Arena (8,000)
ESPN+ (Jonathan Hood: Play-by-Play / Kenny Williams: Analyst)
Panther Sports Radio Network (J.W. Cox: Play-by-Play)

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- UNI men's basketball renews an old rivalry on Saturday afternoon as the Panthers take on the UIC Flames in Chicago for the first time as Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) opponents. The Panthers and Flames spent 9 seasons as league rivals in the Mid-Continent Conference (now the Summit League) from 1982-91 before the Panthers joined the MVC in 1991.

Playing for the first time in a decade, the all-time series between UNI and UIC is knotted up at 11 wins a piece, with the Panthers clinching the last meeting at home in the second round of the 2013 CIT Tournament, 63-51. UNI seeks to end a 34-year drought and win at UIC for the first time since Jan. 28, 1989.

UNI PANTHERS
The Panthers fought off a furious second half rally by Illinois State on Wednesday night and rode the hot hand of freshman guard Trey Campbell to victory, 65-63 at home. Illinois State locked down the interior lane in the first half and forced the Panther offense to attack from mid-range and from beyond the arc, where Campbell notched 4 three-point baskets in the first half, including the go-ahead shot to end the first half at the buzzer. The UNI defense held firm in the final minutes and prevented a game-tying three-pointer with 8 seconds to play as the Panthers held on to beat the Redbirds for a ninth consecutive game, and sweep the regular season series for a third straight year.

Campbell ended the night with a career-high 20 points and 6 made three-point field goals, while Bowen Born notched 11 points and 4 assists. Landon Wolf tallied 9 points with a pair of three-pointers, as Michael Duax scored 8 points in the win. James Betz posted a 5-point game, with Cole Henry totaling 4 points and a game-high 7 rebounds.

Bowen Born has averaged 19.7 points per game in league play this season, and leads the MVC in total points scored (357) and overall average (18.8 points per game).

Born's 9 highest scoring games of his career have all come this season.

30 points vs. Northern Illinois (Nov. 26)
29 points vs. Evansville (Dec. 3)
27 points vs. Southern Illinois (Jan. 7)
27 points vs. Towson (Dec. 17)
27 points vs. Toledo (Dec. 6)
25 points at Illinois State (Dec. 31)
23 points vs. Missouri State (Dec. 28)
23 points vs. Murray State (Jan. 10)
22 points at Bradley (Nov. 30)

Anderson's 8 double-doubles rank 18th most in the nation. He also leads the league in rebounds per game (9.4) and defensive rebounds per contest (7.0). Anderson's 179 total rebounds this season are 21st most in the country.

Collectively, the Panthers lead the nation in points per game scored by in-state players, as Iowa-born players have accounted for 68 points a game.

UNI has held its opponent to under 70 points in 12 games this season, holding an 8-4 record in such contests. The Panthers have won 7 straight games holding the opposition under 70 points.

The Panthers have averaged an MVC-low 14.7 personal fouls per game. As a result, UNI has also averaged 17.4 free throw attempts per game, 4th most in the conference.

Head coach Ben Jacobson is also chasing MVC history with 180 conference only wins, 3rd most in league history. Jacobson is 3 wins shy of passing former Creighton coach Dana Altman for 2nd all-time in MVC history with 182 conference wins.

UIC FLAMES
After a 9-5 start to their first year in the MVC, the Flames have struggled since the turn of the calendar, entering Saturday's contest on a 6-game losing streak. UIC most recently fell on Tuesday night in a road loss at Valparaiso, 76-66.

Under the leadership of third year head coach Luke Yaklich, the Flames were picked 11th in the MVC preseason poll after going 14-16 overall and 9-10 in their final season in the Horizon League last year. UIC currently sits in 11th in the league standings with a 1-8 mark in conference play, with the lone win coming on Dec. 28 against Illinois State, 55-51.

Jace Carter leads UIC with 15.3 points per game this year and a team-high 33 steals on defense, while Tobi Okani has notched 13.1 points and a team-high 7.3 rebounds a game. Tre Anderson has tallied 11.2 points a contest.

The Flames lead the MVC with 4.8 blocked shots per game and an average of 20.3 free throw attempts a game. UIC also boasts the league's highest turnover margin (1.8) and turnovers forced per game average (14.8).

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