University of Northern Iowa
2-1,0-0MVC
UC Irvine
3-0,0-0Big West
UNI men’s basketball falls to UC Irvine to round out homestand
11/10/2024 4:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Panthers scheduled to visit Wichita State on Thursday in first road trip of the season.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The UNI men's basketball team struggled to slow the high-powered offense of the UC Irvine Anteaters on Sunday afternoon as the Panthers dropped their first contest of the season by a score of 80-60 in non-conference play at the McLeod Center.
Facing off against the reigning Big West Conference regular season champions and a 2024 NIT participant, Northern Iowa could not keep pace with the Anteaters speed and size, shooting 39.7% from the field in the game and 33.3% in the second half.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panthers battled the high-energy interior defense of the Anteaters in a tightly contested first half that saw UNI shooting 45.2% from the field. Jacob Hutson tied his career-high with three made three-point baskets and a game-high 13 first half points, while RJ Taylor's highly efficient jump shot helped him record 11 points. UC Irvine shot 55.9% from the floor with four made three pointers and stretched its lead to as many as nine points while outrebounding 18-16 in the first half. UNI narrowly cut into the Anteaters' lead and went into the halftime break trailing 45-38.
Northern Iowa's offense struggled out of the break as UC Irvine's offense and rebounding picked up with the Anteaters shooting 53.8% from the field to extend their lead. Trey Campbell got on the board in the second half with seven points on three-of-five shooting and also led the Panthers with four second half rebounds.
Hutson finished with a team-high 13 points and five rebounds, as Taylor tallied 12 points on five-of-ten shooting and a game-high three assists. Tytan Anderson recorded ten points and a team-leading seven rebounds, with Campbell finishing with seven points. Both Max Weisbrod and Ben Schwieger both tallied five points each and Leon Bond III scoring three points.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Sunday's matchup was the first all-time meeting between the Panthers and Anteaters.
- Sunday's game pitted a pair of CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major top-25 squads against each other. UNI entered the game ranked seventh in the poll, while UC Irvine was ranked 12th.
- Tytan Anderson jumped into a tie with Bill Jones (1977-81) for 56th on UNI's all-time scoring list with his 915th career point on Sunday. Trey Campbell also passed Mike Pijanowski (1981-84) with his 560th career point for 108th on the list.
- Anderson also recorded his 600th career rebound on Sunday after pulling down seven boards against the Anteaters.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action for their first road game on Thursday, Nov. 14 at Wichita State. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT at Koch Arena with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network.
UNI men's basketball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Men's Basketball), X (@UNImbb) and on Instagram (@uni_basketball). The full 2024 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
