University of Northern Iowa
16-13,10-8MVC
Drake
23-6,14-4MVC
UNI men’s basketball: Anderson’s record tying performance leads Panthers past Drake
2/24/2024 8:43:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Anderson ties his own career rebounding highs as UNI upsets first-place Bulldogs at home. Panthers host Valparaiso for Senior Day on Tuesday.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- UNI men's basketball shot just over 55% from the floor and dominated the rebounding battle on Saturday as the Panthers scored a key upset over the defending Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) tournament champions and in-state rival Drake Bulldogs, 91-77.
Four Panther starters finished in double figures for scoring with Tytan Anderson tying a pair of school records for rebounding in a pivotal conference win with just a handful of contests remaining in the regular season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UNI's fast-paced and hard-nosed defensive plan of attack helped the Panthers open an early lead on the Bulldogs with a 5-0 lead on the first two possessions of the game. Shooting 56.7% from the floor, Northern Iowa attacked the rim hard and pressured Drake's high-powered offense on the opposite end of the floor. UNI would build a nine-point advantage late in the opening frame, but the Bulldogs would storm back with a 6-0 run to tie at 35-35 and again at 39-39 before the Panthers scored on their final two possessions of the period, including a layup by Nate Heise off a Tytan Anderson block of reigning MVC Player of the Year Tucker DeVries. Heise would lead all Panthers with ten points plus three rebounds, with Anderson scoring eight points and six points each from Bowen Born and Jacob Hutson to take a 43-39 lead into the halftime break.
The Bulldogs would score the first five points of the second stanza to take its first lead of the game before UNI broke through with a 12-0 run to grab a double-digit lead and reclaim the lead for good. UNI's pursuit of scoring in the paint and from beyond the three-point arc was on display with Hutson matching a career-high in made three-pointers and Anderson crashing the glass at a relentless level. Landon Wolf provided key points off the bench in the final 20 minutes as Northern Iowa drew contact and earned trips to the free throw line to secure the 14-point victory.
Anderson matched a career-high with 18 rebounds for his third double-double of the year with 18 points, while Heise also tallied 18 points with nine boards. Born posted a 16-point performance with three made baskets from beyond the arc, as Hutson recorded 14 points. Wolf finished with ten points off the bench, with Trey Campbell finishing with seven points and Cole Henry and RJ Taylor each recording four points each with Henry posting a season-high five assists.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI's victory snaps a three-game skid to the Bulldogs with the Panthers now improving to 52-34 against Drake all-time. Northern Iowa is 31-8 against Drake all-time at home.
- Saturday's win was UNI's first against a team either ranked or receiving votes in the Associated Press (AP) top-25 poll since its Nov. 27, 2021 road win at No. 16 St. Bonaventure.
- The Panthers are now 84-12 (.875) when scoring 80+ points under head coach Ben Jacobson.
- UNI recorded its tenth home win of the season on Saturday, its 13th season of recording ten or more wins inside the McLeod Center since the building opened in Nov. 2006.
- Guard Trey Campbell scored his 500th career point on Saturday, becoming the 114th player in program history to reach that milestone.
- Tytan Anderson extended his streak of scoring at least one point to 61 consecutive games on Wednesday, the longest streak among active Panthers.
- Anderson's 18 rebounds against Drake tied his own school records for rebounds in a single home game and rebounds against an MVC opponent. Anderson set both records during UNI's Jan. 10, 2023 win over Murray State.
- Bowen Born has now scored double-digit points in 18 of his last 21 games played.
- Born's three made three-point baskets now tie him with Ben Jacobson (2002-06) for fourth on the program's all-time made three-pointers list with 203. Born passed both Johnny Moran (2008-12) and Marc Sonnen (2009-13) as well on Saturday on the list.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action on Tuesday night as they host the Valparaiso Beacons in their final home game of the regular season where the team will honor its senior players and managers. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT inside the McLeod Center with live coverage available on the Panther Sports Network/ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network.
