University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
3-7,0-2MVC
Toledo
5-4,0-0MAC
UNI men’s basketball falls short at Toledo, 84-80
12/9/2023 3:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Panthers struggle in late second half in loss to Rockets. UNI hosts Prairie View A&M on Tuesday night.
TOLEDO, Ohio --- UNI men's basketball dualed the Rockets shot-for-shot, but would ultimately come up short against Toledo on Saturday afternoon, falling at Savage Arena by a score of 84-80 along the edge of Lake Erie.
Facing off against the three-time defending Mid-American Conference (MAC) champions, the Panthers led for just over half of the game, but struggled to slow down a hot-shooting Rockets offense in the second period.
HOW IT HAPPENED
In a high-scoring first against the MAC's highest-scoring offense, the Panthers got out to a quick start with Trey Campbell scoring UNI's first five points of the afternoon, with Bowen Born also knocking down a pair of three-point baskets. Northern Iowa outrebounded the Rockets by seven in the first half despite strong scoring halves by Dante Maddox and Tyler Cochran, shooting an impressive 58% from the floor while knocking down six three-point shots on 11 attempts. Toledo would take a five-point lead with just over four minutes remaining in the opening stanza, but would be held scoreless for the remainder of the period by the Panther defense as UNI closed the half on a 9-0 scoring run to take a 40-36 lead into halftime.
Northern Iowa and Toledo traded shots back-and-forth in a razor thin second half with the Panthers shooting 46.7% from the floor. Born would knock down a three-point basket and draw contact for a four-point foul, but the Panthers would struggle to answer a 14-4 run by the Rockets in the final ten minutes of play. With the Rockets shooting 50% from the field in the second period, UNI was able to tie the game up in the final minutes and force the game into a battle of free throws and fouls, but could not slow Toledo's interior offense in the four-point loss.
Born led the game with a season-high 31-point performance, shooting six-of-nine from beyond the three-point arc. Campbell and Jacob Hutson both tallied 12 points each, while Tytan Anderson led the Panthers with eight rebounds along with eight points. Nate Heise meanwhile posted a six-point, five-rebound and two assists game.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Toledo now leads the all-time series against UNI, 2-1. Saturday's game was the first time the Panthers have played the Rockets on the road.
- Northern Iowa is now 80-12 (.869) when scoring 80 or more points under head coach Ben Jacobson.
- The Rockets outscored UNI 36-24 inside the paint, and 21-2 off turnovers.
- Tytan Anderson extended his streak of scoring at least one point in a game to 42 consecutive games on Saturday.
- Bowen Born's 31-point game was fourth career game of 30+ points, and first since the 2023 MVC Tournament quarterfinal against Bradley (34).
- Bowen Born jumped up to 23rd on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,192 career points, passing Tony Brus (1995-99) and Adam Koch (1,186). Anderson also moved into the top-100 in UNI history with his 625th career point.
- Born's six three-pointers against Toledo moved him up to seventh on the program's all-time three-point field goals list, passing Nick Nurse (1986-89) and Jeremy Morgan (2013-17).
UP NEXT
UNI returns home on Tuesday night to host the Prairie View A&M Panthers in non-conference action. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT at the McLeod Center with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network. Tickets can be purchased online at UNIpanthers.com/tickets or by calling the ticket office at 319-273-4849.
