University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
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Panther men’s hoops soars past Dubuque in opener
11/4/2024 10:06:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UNI cruises to season opening win over the Spartans inside the McLeod Center. Panthers continue three-game homestand on Thursday night against Milwaukee.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- Five Panthers scored in double-digit figures with 12 of 13 players scoring on Monday night as UNI men's basketball rolled past the Dubuque Spartans in its 2024-25 season opener by a score of 96-54.
Northern Iowa shot over 50% on the night and outrebounded the Spartans by a two-to-one margin, with UNI's depth outscoring Dubuque's bench by a 52-17 advantage. Three Panther transfers made their UNI debuts in Monday's win, while three others saw late game action for their first minutes in their college careers.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panthers opened the season on a rousing note as Leon Bond III threw down a one-handed dunk in his UNI debut, the first of three slams by the Panther offense in the first half. Paced by ten first period points by Bond and 48.6% shooting from the floor, Northern Iowa withstood a 10-0 scoring run by the Spartans before stretching their lead back to double digits. Ben Schwieger threw down two dunks in the latter half of the opening half as Kyle Pock sank UNI's first three-point bucket of the season with nine-of-11 free throws also falling for the Panthers. Tytan Anderson posted a game-high 13 first half points as Northern Iowa took a 44-24 lead into the halftime break.
UNI's high efficiency shooting carried into the second half with a 56.3% shooting clip with the Panthers also sinking 12-of-13 free throw attempts. RJ Taylor, making his first career start with UNI, paced the Panthers 11 points in the final frame, while Max Weisbrod heated up in the final 20 minutes with nine points. With 16 assists on the night, 54 points in the paint and 24 points scored off turnovers, stretched its lead to 47 in the closing minutes, opening up late game opportunities for Wes Rubin, Hunter Jacobson, Charlie Miller and Cade Courbat off the bench.
Taylor finished the night with a career-high 13 points on six-of-eight shooting in 19 minutes, as well as a career-best four assists. Anderson also finished with 13 points and six rebounds. Bond recorded 12 points and a team-high seven boards in the win, as Schwieger notched 12 points. Weisbrod tallied 11 points with three assists and four steals, while Pock sank all three of his shot attempts from behind the three-point arc to finish with nine points. Freshman Will Hornseth finished the game with nine points and two blocks.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 15-8 all-time against Dubuque in the all-time series. The Panthers' last regular season loss to the Spartans came back during the 1920-21 season.
- Northern Iowa is now 13-6 in season opening games under head coach Ben Jacobson, and 17-2 in its last 19 home openers.
- The Panthers 42-point victory was tied for the 15th largest margin of victory in school history.
- UNI improves to 82-12 (.877) under Ben Jacobson when scoring 80 or more points in a game.
- Wes Rubin, Hunter Jacobson and Will Hornseth all made their collegiate debuts on Monday night. While Hornseth made his first appearance as a true freshman, Rubin redshirted the 2023-24 season, while Jacobson has rehabbed from injury the previous two years.
- Max Weisbrod and Ben Schwieger, both transfers from Northern Michigan (Division II) and Loyola-Chicago, made their UNI debuts on Monday. Leon Bond III, a Virginia transfer, also made his Panther debut, as well as his first collegiate start.
- Tytan Anderson jumped to 61st on Northern Iowa's all-time scoring list with his 886th career points, passing Aaron Middledorf (1998-02), Wyatt Lohaus (2014-19) and Noah Carter (2019-22).
UP NEXT
UNI returns to action on Thursday night as they host the Milwaukee Panthers. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT inside the McLeod Center with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network.
Tickets can be purchased through the UNI Ticket Office either online, or by calling 319-273-4849 or through email at tickets@uni.edu.
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.
