University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
4-4,1-0MVC
UIC
4-4,0-1MVC
Bond’s career night lifts UNI men’s hoops to rout of UIC in MVC opener
12/4/2024 9:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Panthers roll past the Flames in Chicago to even record at 4-4. UNI hosts Northern Illinois on Saturday.
CHICAGO --- Leon Bond III posted a career night on Wednesday in the Windy City as the UNI men's basketball team rolled past the UIC Flames by a score of 83-56 in its first Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) contest of the year.
Picking up their first true road win of the year, Northern Iowa shot lights out at a 56.6% shooting clip and just over 60% from three-point range, leading for all but two minutes throughout the game, holding the league's top scoring offense in check. UNI also notched nine steals and dominated the paint to snap a five-game skid in conference openers.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panthers opened their first conference matchup of the season with a 9-0 run which included four points from RJ Taylor. A 16-2 run from UIC gave the Flames a 16-11 lead before a three-pointer from Trey Campbell ended the run. Northern Iowa and UIC traded a trio of points before a 10-point run from the Panthers which included back-to-back triples from Campbell. Shooting at a 59% clip in the opening stanza, the Panthers stretched their lead to 46-32 into the halftime break.
Leon Bond III paced the Northern Iowa offense in the second half with 14 points on five-of-six shooting as the Panthers maintained a double-digit lead for a majority of the final 20 minutes of play. UNI attacked the paint and finished the half on 54.2% shooting with four more three-point baskets from Bond, Max Weisbrod and Ben Schwieger. Despite Sasa Ciani, the MVC's leading rebounder pulling down 17 total rebounds, including 11 on offense for the Flames, UIC was held to just 32.2% shooting in the game as the Panthers cruised to the 27-point win.
Bond finished the night with a career-high 22 points along with four rebounds, while Campbell scored 17 points on a perfect five-for-five shooting night from beyond the three-point arc, along with five rebounds and four assists. Tytan Anderson tallied 16 points and a team-high seven boards, with Schwieger scoring eight points, seven from Jacob Hutson and six from Will Hornseth.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 14-12 all-time against the Flames, as well as 3-1 against UIC since it entered the MVC in 2022-23.
- Wednesday's win marks the first time Northern Iowa has won its MVC opener since beating Bradley on the road during the 2018-19 season.
- The Panthers improve to 89-12 (.881) all-time under head coach Ben Jacobson when scoring 80+ points. All four of UNI's victories this season have come when the Panthers score over 80 points.
- Tytan Anderson is just 24 points away from reaching 1,000 points in his career.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return home to the McLeod Center on Saturday, Dec. 7 as they take on the Northern Illinois Huskies in non-conference action. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network.
Tickets can be purchased through the UNI Ticket Office, or by calling 319-273-4849 or through email at tickets@uni.edu. Fans can use their UNI women's basketball ticket for Saturday afternoon's home game earlier in the day against Creighton to gain admission to the men's game.
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.
