University of Northern Iowa
12-8,6-3MVC
Evansville
11-9,2-7MVC
Panther men’s basketball outmatches Evansville for fifth straight win
1/23/2024 10:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UNI rides Anderson’s double-double to season’s longest winning streak. Panthers visit Drake on Saturday.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- UNI men's basketball opened both halves of its Tuesday night matchup against the Evansville Purple Aces with impressive runs and closed the game on defense to secure a 70-63 win inside the McLeod Center in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play.
The Panthers have now won a season-high five consecutive games, including nine of their last ten and ten of their previous 12 games dating back to December. Northern Iowa also reached another milestone as the men's program recorded its 200th victory inside the McLeod Center.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panthers opened the game on an efficient 7-0 run with Bowen Born knocking down the first five points of the game. Northern Iowa's physicality and speed on both ends of the floor helped slow Evansville's offense early with Born and Nate Heise pacing the way, but could not stop the Purple Aces in the back half of the opening period. Evansville shot 44.4% from the floor while the Panthers struggled down the stretch to find the bottom of the net and rebound the ball. Despite solid ball protection with just three early turnovers, the Panthers fell behind heading into the halftime break as Evansville's Chuck Bailey III gave the Purple Aces a 31-28 lead with 26 seconds left in the half.
Like the beginning of the first half, Northern Iowa bolted out of the gates to open the second stanza with a 10-0 run, sparked by a three-point play by Jacob Hutson and five additional points from Born. UNI attacked the glass and dominated the rebounding battle in the final 20 minutes and slowed Evansville's hot shooting from late in the first period. Despite the Purple Aces draining five three-point field goals in the second half, Tytan Anderson helped push UNI across the finish line inside the paint and on the opposite end of the floor pulling down six defensive rebounds. Kyle Pock also helped ice the game for the Panthers with seven points in the final period.
Anderson finished with 15 points and ten rebounds for his first double-double of the season and twelfth of his career, aided by a career-high 11 made free throws, plus a pair of steals and blocks. Heise also notched 15 points with seven boards, a team-high three assists and two steals, while Born posted a 14-point performance with two assists and a season-high five rebounds. Hutson and Pock both recorded seven points, with Trey Campbell scoring six points and both Cole Henry and Michael Duax registering three points each.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 36-30 all-time against Evansville and 22-7 against the Purple Aces at home.
- Tuesday's win marked the 200th win inside the McLeod Center for the Panther men's program. UNI is now 200-62 (.763) since the arena opened in November 2006, with all 200 victories in the building coming under head coach Ben Jacobson.
- Northern Iowa picked up its 1,398th win in program history on Tuesday night.
- Tytan Anderson extended his streak of scoring at least one point in 52 consecutive games, the longest streak among active Panthers.
- Anderson joined teammates Bowen Born and Nate Heise as the only two active Panthers to surpass 700 career points.
UP NEXT
The Panthers hit the road for a key in-state conference matchup late Saturday afternoon in Des Moines against Drake. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT at the Knapp Center, with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network.
Panther fans and alumni are invited to attend a pregame social prior to the game in downtown Des Moines at Johnny's Hall of Fame. The event is free and open to the public with food and drinks available. Click HERE for more information.
