Panther men's basketball clash with Drake on Wednesday night

UNI men's basketball vs. Drake

8 p.m. CT | Feb. 15, 2023
Cedar Falls, Iowa | McLeod Center (6,650)
MVC TV Network (Brad Wells: Play-by-Play / Adam Emmenecker: Analyst)
Panther Sports Radio Network (J.W. Cox: Play-by-Play)

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- UNI goes toe-to-toe with its in-state rival for the second time in two weeks as the Panthers host the Drake Bulldogs in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) action on Wednesday night inside the McLeod Center. The Panthers, who've struggled in their last 5 games, look to find a spark as the regular season enters its final weeks and last 4 games.

All the action can be seen live on the MVC TV Network with Brad Well and Adam Emmenecker on the call. Fans should be advised of blackout restrictions with Wednesday night's broadcast (See blackout restrictions).

The Panthers will also be holding its fifth and final student scholarship giveaway during the game (See student scholarship drawing eligibility). Fans are encouraged to wear purple as well.

UNI and Drake last met on Feb. 1 at the Knapp Center in Des Moines in a game that went down to the wire. Facing a three-point deficit in the final seconds of regulation, Bowen Born forced the game into overtime with a game-tying three-point jumper as time expired. Born stunned the crowd a second time when he corralled a loose inbounds pass at the end of overtime for another game-tying triple at the buzzer to force a second extra period of basketball. Drake would go on to win the battle however in an 89-81 classic as Born finished with 30 points, tying his career-high.

UNI PANTHERS
The Panther offense struggled to slow down Indiana State's high-powered offense in an 80-62 loss on Saturday at home. UNI was able to initially Indiana State's attack from three-point distance early and made great efforts defensively to create challenging shots, but struggled to match the Sycamores' speed and quick passing around the perimeter, shooting only 35%. The Panthers were able to rattle off a 9-0 run to cut Indiana State's lead down to 4 points, but gave up a set of back-to-back three-pointers as the Sycamores took a 44-29 lead into the halftime break.

UNI continued to struggle to slow ISU in the second half by giving the Sycamores additional possessions of 7 turnovers, but began to find some rhythm on 46% shooting late in the period. Shooting 5-of-11 from three-point range, the Panthers managed to cut Indiana State's 28-point lead down to 15 in the final minutes with Trey Campbell scoring 9 points down the stretch, with Landon Wolf sinking a pair of second half triples and Drew Daniel, Tytan Anderson and Ege Peksari each posting 3 points.

Anderson would finish the game with a team-high 13 points for UNI, plus 4 rebounds. Michael Duax scored 8 points with a team-high 6 rebounds, while Wolf and Cole Henry also finished with 8 points. Bowen Born tallied 5 points in the Panther loss.

Born has averaged 18 points per game in league play this season, and ranks fourth in the MVC in total points scored (468) and fourth in overall average (also 18 points per game).

Born's 10 highest scoring games of his career have all come this season.

30 points at Drake (Feb. 1)
30 points vs. Northern Illinois (Nov. 26)
29 points vs. Evansville (Dec. 3)
27 points vs. Southern Illinois (Jan. 7)
27 points vs. Towson (Dec. 17)
27 points vs. Toledo (Dec. 6)
25 points at Illinois State (Dec. 31)
23 points vs. Missouri State (Dec. 28)
23 points vs. Murray State (Jan. 10)
22 points at Bradley (Nov. 30)

Anderson's 10 double-doubles lead the MVC and rank 25th most in the nation. He also leads the league in rebounds per game (9.2) and defensive rebounds per contest (6.9). Anderson's league-best 237 total rebounds this season are 30th most in the country. The Eldridge, Iowa native entered the season averaging 1.9 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.

Seven freshmen in the MVC this season have scored 150+ points in their first season on the floor, including three Panthers in Michael Duax (256 points), Landon Wolf (192 points) and Trey Campbell (192 points).

Collectively, the Panthers lead the nation in points per game scored by in-state players, as Iowa-born players have accounted for 69 points a game.

The Panthers have averaged 15.2 personal fouls per game, third fewest in the MVC this year. As a result, UNI has also averaged 17.2 free throw attempts per game, fifth most in the conference.

Head coach Ben Jacobson can surpass former Creighton coach Dana Altman as the second-winningest coach in MVC history in conference only games with a victory. Both Jacobson and Altman have won 182 games in league play. Former Oklahoma State coach Henry P. Iba won 187 games against conference opponents from 1934-70.

Entering Tuesday and Wednesday's slate of games, Drake is tied with Bradley for first place in the MVC standings at 12-4 in league play. The Panthers are 4 games back of the Bulldogs, tied with Murray State in seventh place at 8-8.

DRAKE BULLDOGS
The Bulldogs were tested three days after their double overtime win over UNI with another narrow double overtime victory at Valparaiso on Feb. 4, 85-82. Riding a league-best 7-game winning streak, Drake is one of three MVC teams ranked in the top-100 of the NET rankings (Bradley, 63 / Drake, 72 / Indiana State, 94).

Sitting at 5-3 on the road this season, the Bulldogs dominated Southern Illinois in their last outing on Saturday at home, 82-59. Four of Drake's five starters cracked double-digit scoring, led by a 21-point effort from Roman Penn, plus 15 points from MVC Preseason Player of the Year Tucker DeVries. D.J. Wilkins scored 12 points, as Darnell Brodie and Sardaar Calhoun both posted 11-point games. The Bulldogs shot 56.9% from the floor and knocked down 11 three-point baskets.

DeVries leads Drake and the MVC with a 19.5 points per game average, while Penn has notched 12.1 points a game. The Bulldogs have been a stout rebounding team this season with 3 players averaging 7 boards per game (Brodie, 7.1 / Garrett Sturtz, 7.0 / Issa Samake, 7.0). Collectively, Drake has protected the ball well, committing a league-low 10.7 turnovers a game.

Former Panther guard and current Drake head coach Darian DeVries will also make his return to the McLeod Center on Wednesday night. DeVries, who played for the Panthers from 1994-98, is 6-5 against his alma mater and has notched 20+ wins in each of his first 5 seasons in Des Moines.

Calendar

Upcoming Events