University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Toledo
Panther men’s basketball eyes consecutive wins in road trip to Toledo
12/8/2023 10:04:00 AM | Men's Basketball
UNI looks to take series lead against the Rockets following big home win on Wednesday against Richmond.
UNI men's basketball (3-6 / 0-2 MVC) at Toledo (4-4 / 0-0 MAC)
- Dec. 9, 2023 | 1 p.m. CT
- Toledo, Ohio | Savage Arena (7,300)
- ESPN+ (Mason Lowry: Play-by-Play / Rhett Boyd: Analyst)
- Panther Sports Radio Network (J.W. Cox: Play-by-Play / Kevin Boyle: Analyst)
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- UNI men's basketball looks to stack consecutive wins for the first time this season as the Panther travel to northwest Ohio to take on the Toledo Rockets on Saturday afternoon in non-conference action. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network.
Northern Iowa visits Toledo for the first time ever in the third all-time matchup between the Panthers and Rockets with the series all knotted up at one win a piece. Last December, Toledo got the best of UNI in an 83-75 win in the McLeod Center, where Bowen Born scored 27 points on 57% shooting, Trey Campbell finished with 15 points and Tytan Anderson notched a 13-point, ten-rebound double-double. The Panthers are also in search of their first win against an Ohio-based team since defeating Dayton on Dec. 23, 2005 in Las Vegas.
The three-point shot was the name of the game for UNI in its last outing, a 78-73 home victory over the Richmond Spiders on Wednesday night. Northern Iowa knocked down a season-high 12 baskets from beyond the arc, shot 45% overall from the field and dominated the rebounding battle in the second half, particularly on offensive boards. Head coach Ben Jacobson also made history, passing former Creighton/Saint Louis coach Eddie Hickey for second on the Missouri Valley Conference's (MVC) all-time wins list with his 338th career victory.
Campbell recorded a career night with a 21-point performance and a career-best six made three-point baskets against the Spiders. Born tied his season-best in both points (17) and assists (4), while Nate Heise's efforts on both ends of the floor resulted in 13 points and five rebounds. Anderson pulled down a season-high 11 rebounds and four assists along with four points, with Jacob Hutson grabbing six boards and scoring five points. Cole Henry also dished out a season-best four assists.
UNI is 80-11 (.879) under head coach Ben Jacobson when scoring 80+ points, and have won 18 of its last 22 games when scoring 80 or more points. Coming off a win under Jacobson, the Panthers are 207-112 (.648).
Anderson enters Saturday's contest on a 41-game scoring streak with at least one point scored, while Born carries the program's fourth -highest career free throw percentage into the game against the Rockets (84.4%). Born is also three made three-point baskets away from passing Nick Nurse (1986-89) for eighth on the program's all-time list. Collectively as a program, the Panthers are also five victories away from 700 since shifting to Division I.
TOLEDO ROCKETS
A 2023 NIT team, the Rockets are one of six opponents on UNI's schedule this season that made a national postseason tournament last season, falling to Michigan in the opening round by ten points. Toledo returns home to Savage Arena after a narrow road win at Oakland on Wednesday night, where a pair of go-ahead free throws gave the Rockets a 69-68 lead to even their record at 4-4.
Coming off a 27-8 season in 2022-23, the Rockets were picked to finish fourth in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) preseason poll behind Akron, Kent State and Ohio. Junior guard Dante Maddox Jr. was the lone Rocket selected with preseason honors, being voted to the MAC's Preseason Third Team.
A high-octane offense, Toledo leads the MAC through eight games with a league-high 48.2% shooting percentage from the floor, but have struggled defensively, giving up a league-worst 50.5% of shot attempts to its opponents. The Rockets are led by Maddox and Ra'Heim Moss, both averaging 15.6 points per game, while Tyler Cochran leads the conference in both total steals (20) and steals per game (2.5).
