University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
1-3,0-0MVC
North Carolina
4-0,0-0ACC
Panther men’s basketball drops Battle 4 Atlantis opener to No. 14 Tar Heels
11/22/2023 2:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UNI struggles in second half in the Bahamas. Panthers return to action on Thanksgiving Day.
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas --- UNI men's basketball outrebounded North Carolina in the first half of but struggled to slow the No. 14 Tar Heels' three-point shooting in the second period as the Panthers dropped their opening game of the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis on Wednesday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Northern Iowa shot a season-best 60% from the floor in the opening half, grabbing an early 10-2 lead on the Tar Heels. In a battle against one of the least penalized teams in the nation, the Panthers drew 11 fouls from North Carolina and executed in rebounding the ball against a sizable opponent. Jacob Hutson tallied nine first half points with five made free throws as Nate Heise, Kyle Pock and Bowen Born all knocked down one three-point basket each. UNC would take the lead with just over six minutes to go in the half, but UNI's defense and free throw shooting, plus a late period scoring surge from Born would push the Panthers ahead and give the purple and gold a six-point lead at the break, 41-35.
North Carolina would turn the tables dramatically in the second half as the Tar Heels shot nine-of-13 from beyond the three-point arc in the final period, doubling up the Panthers 34-17 in the first 14 and a half minutes. UNI struggled to put the ball in the net on just 32.1% shooting from the field as UNC dominated off the glass, outrebounding the Panthers 24-15. Northern Iowa would go on a 7-0 run with just under six minutes to play, but the Tar Heels' nine three-point field goals proved to be too much for the purple and gold in the 22-point loss.
Heise finished the day with a team-high 14 points of four-of-seven shooting from the field, while Hutson tallied ten points and a season-best three assists. Tytan Anderson recorded a game-high ten rebounds with seven points, with Trey Campbell and Logan Wolf each scoring nine points. Born posted a seven-point outing, as Cole Henry grabbed a season-high five rebounds.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- The Panthers fall to 1-2 all-time against the Tar Heels. Wednesday's game was the first neutral site meeting between the two programs.
- UNI is 23-19 in multi-team events (MTE) after Wednesday's game.
- Northern Iowa was outblocked by North Carolina, 9-1 in Wednesday's loss.
UP NEXT
The Panthers will play against the loser of Villanova and Texas Tech at 11 a.m. CT on Thanksgiving Day. Live coverage will be available on ESPN2 and the Panther Sports Radio Network.
