University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
13-11,7-6MVC
Missouri State
14-10,6-7MVC
UNI men’s basketball tops Missouri State in home victory
2/7/2024 10:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Heise, Hutson, Born pace Panthers to win to snap three-game skid. UNI visits UIC on Sunday afternoon.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- An efficient second half on offense, stellar ball control and an impressive defensive effort were on display for UNI men's basketball on Wednesday night as the Panthers defeated the Missouri State Bears inside the McLeod Center by a final score of 72-65.
UNI, which secured the regular season sweep of the Bears for the first time since the 2021-22 season, snapped Missouri State's four-game winning streak for its third consecutive victory over the Bears. The Panthers also improved to 14-5 against the Bears inside the McLeod Center.
HOW IT HAPPENED
In a hotly contested first period of play, UNI quickly adapted to Missouri State's speed and ability to crash the glass for rebounds, quickly overcoming an early rebounding margin to close an eight-point Bears lead. Holding MSU scoreless during a three minute stretch, the Panthers used a 7-0 scoring run to erase their early deficit and would start to heat up from beyond three-point range with long range baskets from Nate Heise, Tytan Anderson and Kyle Pock. Despite just 37.9% shooting from the field, Northern Iowa held Missouri State to 43% shooting and forced six first half turnovers with five blocked shots. Pock would tie the game at 30-30 in the final two minutes of the half with a triple, as the Bears took a narrow 32-30 lead into halftime.
Northern Iowa bolted out of the locker room with an 8-0 and immediately put Missouri State into foul trouble with five team fouls within the first three and a half minutes of the second period. While Alston Mason paced the Bears' offense throughout the game, Jacob Hutson came to life in the second stanza with an effective presence inside the paint, while Bowen Born and Trey Campbell kept the three-point attack rolling down the stretch, extending the Panther lead to double digits. Forcing seven second-half turnovers, UNI's defense held Missouri State to 40.9% shooting in the final 20 minutes to secure the seven-point victory.
Heise led a trio of Panthers scoring in double-digit figures with 17 points with three made three-pointers and five rebounds, while Hutson posted a 14-point game, highlighted by new career-high performances in rebounds (8) and blocks (3). Born tallied ten points in the UNI win, as Campbell posted a nine-point game. Anderson finished the night with seven points and seven rebounds, while Pock recorded five points with a career-high three steals.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Missouri State leads the all-time series 46-42 after UNI's win on Wednesday night.
- UNI's victory was its 1,399th all-time in program history, while head coach Ben Jacobson scored his 349th career win.
- Northern Iowa committed a season-low five turnovers in its win over the Bears, its fewest since committing just four turnovers at Illinois State on Feb. 15, 2022.
- Bowen Born has now posted double-digit scoring figures in 14 of his last 16 games played. He also pulled within 25 points of cracking the program's top-ten all-time scoring list.
- Nate Heise became the 72nd player in school history to surpass 800 career points after his team-high 17-point performance.
- Tytan Anderson has now scored at least one point in 56 consecutive games, the longest scoring streak among active Panthers.
- Jacob Hutson surpassed 200 career rebounds on Wednesday night with his team-leading eight boards. Hutson previously notched 104 rebounds in his three seasons at Loyola-Chicago (2020-23).
UP NEXT
UNI kicks off a two-game road trip on Sunday as the Panthers visit UIC on Sunday afternoon. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT at Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network.
