University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
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North Texas
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Panther men’s basketball drops season opener at North Texas in overtime
11/7/2023 10:22:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Heise, Wolf shine on offense in season opening test against NIT champions. UNI hosts Loras next Tuesday in home opener.
DENTON, Tex. --- UNI men's basketball rallied from a double-digit deficit late in the second half, but ultimately came up short on Tuesday night as the Panthers dropped their 2023-24 regular season opener on the road against the reigning NIT champion North Texas Mean Green inside The Super Pit in an 83-77 overtime thriller.
Having to overcome a barrage of UNT three-point baskets in the first half, Northern Iowa slowed its opponent's hot shooting and attacked the paint in its first game of the new season, featuring a breakout game from Nate Heise in his first regular season game since a season-ending injury last year.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panthers and Mean Green tipped off the season with hot shooting hands as North Texas jumped out to an early lead on the backs of 11-point efforts by both Aaron Scott and Rubin Jones and nine total three-point baskets by UNT. UNI would claw its way back into the game after trailing by as many as five points with a strong defensive effort, holding UNT scoreless for nearly five minutes as Landon Wolf found his groove shooting the ball. Knocking down five of his first seven shots, including three baskets from beyond the arc, Wolf led the first half with 13 points, while Heise and Tytan Anderson each scored seven points in a period. Northern Iowa outscored the Mean Green 20-6 in the paint and grabbed 11 second chance points off eight offensive rebounds. With just three turnovers in the first 20 minutes, UNI went into the halftime break trailing, 38-36.
North Texas would put the Panthers into an 11-point deficit with a 10-0 run in the second half before Heise took command of the offense shooting five-of-nine in the second stanza. Holding the Mean Green to 20% shooting from three-point range, UNI gradually chipped away at UNT's lead in the final minutes, pulling within five points with five minutes to play after three-point baskets by Wolf and Bowen Born. Northern Iowa would score nine straight points over a six minute, 21 second span on a pair of Heise layups, a Hutson lay in and Born three-pointer to cut the Mean Green's lead to just one. Heise would drill his second three-point bucket of the night with 53 seconds remaining to give the Panthers the lead before a pair of Scott free throws forced the game into overtime.
North Texas scored the first six points of the extra period before Heise and Born got UNI on the board in the added five minute session, but would struggle to find the bottom of the net after as the Mean Green cruised ahead in the final minutes to hand the Panthers the six-point loss.
Heise finished the night with a career-high 20 points, complimented by a game-high nine rebounds, three assists and three steals. Wolf notched 18 points on four-of-seven shooting from three-point range, while Born tallied 14 points and five boards.Hutson recorded 11 points and eight rebounds in his regular season debut with the Panthers, with Anderson posting a 14-point, five-rebound game.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI's loss on Tuesday evens the all-time series with North Texas at one win a piece. Tuesday's game was the first meeting between the two programs since the Panthers' 93-70 win over the Mean Green at home in 2015.
- The Panthers are 11-7 in regular season openers under head coach Ben Jacobson.
- Northern Iowa finished the game outscoring North Texas 42-20 inside the paint and 17-9 on second chance scoring opportunities.
- Nate Heise surpassed 500 career points on Friday, becoming the 112th player in program history to reach that milestone.
- Guard RJ Taylor and forward Kyle Pock both made their collegiate basketball debuts on Tuesday, combining for three minutes of playing time.
UP NEXT
Northern Iowa returns home next Tuesday, Nov. 14 to host the Loras Duhawks in their 2023-24 home opener. The opening tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT with live coverage available on ESPN+ and on the Panther Sports Radio Network.Tickets can also be purchased through the UNI Ticket Office at UNITIX.com or by calling 319-273-4849.
