University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
12-10,6-5MVC
Bradley
16-6,8-3MVC
UNI men’s basketball comes up short at Bradley
1/31/2024 10:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Campbell and Born score 16 points each as Panthers drop final game of January to Braves. UNI hosts Murray State on Saturday afternoon.
PEORIA, Ill. --- Struggling to overcome a fast start by the opposition, UNI men's basketball fell to the reigning Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) regular season champion Bradley Braves on Wednesday night by a score of 85-69 on Wednesday night at Carver Arena.
Looking to avoid consecutive losses to two of the league's top three teams, Northern Iowa saw its opponent drain six three-point baskets in the opening half, including one at the final horn of the first period. The Panthers would close the gap in the second half after trailing by 17 points at the break, but were unable to topple the Braves down the stretch.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Bradley would come out swinging on offense as Connor Hickman buried consecutive three-point baskets on the Braves' first two possessions to build an early 10-2 lead on the Panthers. UNI would struggle to keep up with Bradley's speed and effective ball movement around the floor as the Braves shot 51.6% from the floor. Northern Iowa also struggled to limit contact and sent Bradley to the free throw line for nine attempts in the opening period. Trey Campbell would lead Northern Iowa with ten first-half points, while Tytan Anderson notched six points in the first 20 minutes, and both Jacob Hutson and Nate Heise tallied four point each as the Panthers went to the locker room trailing by 16 points, their second-largest halftime deficit of the year, 46-30.
UNI found a spark to open the second half as Hutson put the Panthers on the board early with a three-point scoring play to kick start a 7-2 run. Northern Iowa pushed the pace against the Braves early and would cut the deficit to single digits as multiple jump shots and floaters fell in the Panthers' favor. Despite slowing down Bradley's three-point shooting, UNI struggled to contain the Braves from mid-range and inside the paint, being outscored 30-20 in the game inside the lane and finding difficulty in closing the gap late.
Campbell and Born led the Panthers with 16 points each, while Hutson ended the night with 13 points and six rebounds. Anderson finished with ten points and six boards, as Kyle Pock tallied five points. Heise closed the night with a game-high nine rebounds and four points.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Wednesday's game was UNI's fourth consecutive loss to Bradley, who now leads the all-time series 38-36.
- UNI finishes the month of January with a 6-3 record, marking the third straight season the Panthers have won at least six games in the first month of the new calendar year.
- Despite the loss, Northern Iowa maintains its position in the MVC standings through 11 league games, sitting at 6-5 in conference play in a tie for fourth-place with Southern Illinois following the Salukis' loss to Missouri State on Wednesday.
- Tytan Anderson extended his streak of scoring at least one point in 54 consecutive games, the longest streak among active Panthers.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return home on Saturday, Feb. 3 to host Murray State. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT at the McLeod Center with live coverage available on CBS Sports Network 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.
UNI will celebrate Alumni Day during Saturday's game with a halftime recognition of team alumni. The Panthers will also participate in "This Game Is No Secret" by wearing black warm-up shirts in commemoration of the 1944 secret game between North Carolina Central and Duke.
