Panther men's basketball drops double OT thriller to Bulldogs, 88-81

Wednesday, February 1

Des Moines, Iowa

8 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

12-11,8-5MVC

Drake

18-6,9-4MVC

OT 1

OT 2

UNI

Drake

Photo by: DRUE WOLFE 2023

Panther men's basketball drops double OT thriller to Bulldogs, 88-81

2/1/2023 11:58:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score FINAL STATS Photo Gallery

UNI and Drake's last three meetings have all been decided in overtime. Panthers return home Saturday to face Bradley.

DES MOINES, Iowa --- Bowen Born hit two game-tying three-point baskets at the end of regulation and at the end of the first overtime, but UNI men's basketball fell short in a thriller on Wednesday night in the state's capital to the Drake Bulldogs, 88-81 in double overtime at the Knapp Center.

Wednesday night's Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) showdown was the first time the Panthers have played an overtime contest this season, and marked the third consecutive game UNI and Drake has been decided in extra time.

With a major emphasis on defending the Bulldogs, the UNI and Drake took their shots at the basket early in the first half. The Panthers took control down the stretch in the opening period with an 8-0 run as Bowen Born, Trey Campbell and Landon Wolf found their groove from mid-range and from beyond the arc. Holding MVC Preseason Player of the Year Tucker DeVries scoreless through the first 20 minutes, UNI held off a late Drake surge to carry a 33-28 lead into the halftime break.

The Panthers held firm for the first half of the second stanza, but soon saw the Bulldogs get into rhythm offensively, tying the game at 46 apiece. With both teams in the bonus with under 8 minutes to play, and UNI attacking in the paint with James Betz and Michael Duax, Drake held control of the lead down to the final minutes of regulation and commanded a 62-58 lead with one minute to play. Campbell hit a critical three-pointer to pull the Panthers within one-point with 49 seconds to play. After a pair of Bulldog free throws, Born hit the game-tying triple as time expired to force overtime, knotted up at 64 all.

Drake and UNI swapped baskets during the opening minutes of the first extra period, with the Bulldogs going up as many as 6 points. Gradually chipping away with baskets from Betz and Born, the Panthers found themselves in a similar situation in the final seconds to that of the end of regulation. With 3 seconds to play and trailing by 3 points, Born wrangled a loose inbounds pass and fired off a second game-tying three-pointer to force a second overtime. The Bulldogs would outscore and outrebound the Panthers in the final period as UNI dropped a heartbreaker on the road.

Five Panthers scored in double-digit figures, led by Born's career-high tying 30-point performance on 10-of-22 shooting and 5 made three-pointers. Wolf scored 15 points with 3 made triples, as Campbell notched 13 points and a career-high 8 rebounds. Duax posted an 11-point effort, while Betz tallied 10 points. Despite being held to just 2 points in the loss, Tytan Anderson led the purple and gold with 10 rebounds and 3 assists.

PANTHER NOTES

UNI leads the all-time series against the Bulldogs 51-32 after Wednesday's game.
Wednesday night marked the first time in the 83-game history of the UNI-Drake rivalry that the game was decided in double overtime.
Bowen Born's 30-point game against Drake is his second of the season after recording 30 points against Evansville in UNI's MVC home opener back in December.
Drake outrebounded UNI 46-38 on Wednesday, including 14-4 on offensive boards.
UNI and Drake combined to shoot 60 total three-point field goal attempts. The Panthers shot 38.7% (12-31), while the Bulldogs notched 24.1% (7-29).
Born now ranks 50th all-time in scoring in UNI history with 945 career points. The Norwalk, Iowa native passed four former and one current Panther on the list on Wednesday night, including Bill Jones (1977-81), Austin Phyfe (2017-pres.), Ron Jessen (1962-65), Spencer Haldeman (2016-20) and Marc Sonnen (2009-13).

UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action on Saturday afternoon hosting the Bradley Braves at home inside the McLeod Center on Alumni Day. Opening tip is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT with the game being broadcast on ESPNEWS and the Panther Sports Radio Network.