University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
11-8,5-3MVC
Southern Illinois
8-11,3-5MVC
Panther men’s basketball struggles in loss at SIU
1/18/2025 8:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UNI offense held to 32% in road loss to Salukis. Panthers host Missouri State on Tuesday night.
CARBONDALE, Ill. --- UNI men's basketball struggled to match the speed and high shooting marks of Southern Illinois on Saturday night as the Panthers fell to the Salukis at the Banterra Center, 73-49.
After being held under 15% shooting in the first period, Northern Iowa improved offensively in the final 20 minutes, but were plagued by a tough shooting night at the free throw line and SIU's 54% shooting clip.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panthers would face an early deficit right from the opening possession as SIU jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first two minutes of the game. UNI's offense would struggle greatly in the first half against a persistent Saluki defense, shooting just 14% in the first 20 minutes on four-of-28 shot attempts. Despite working its way into the bonus, Northern Iowa would also struggle at the free throw line in the first period, making just seven-of-15 attempts. UNI managed to slow down Southern Illinois' pace for a handful of possessions, but would not stop the Salukis as they maintained a double-digit lead for the majority of the half, taking a 33-15 lead into the break.
UNI's offense showed signs of improvement out of halftime on 52% shooting with 13 made shots on 25 attempts, but the SIU offense continued to roll, including from three-point range with five made three pointers on six attempts. The Panthers continued to struggle to keep up with the Salukis' tempo, shooting 65.2% from the field in the final frame. Max Weisbrod would knock down three baskets from beyond the arc, while Trey Campbell knocked down seven points in the final 20 minutes.
Campbell, Tytan Anderson and Weisbrod all led Northern Iowa with nine points each, with Anderson also recording five rebounds and a pair of steals. Jacob Hutson scored six points with five boards, with Ben Schwieger tallying five points and three rebounds. Leon Bond III finished with four points, Redek Born with three points and both Will Hornseth and Cael Schmitt two points each.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Southern Illinois takes a 40-39 lead in the all-time series with Saturday's win.
- Graduate guard Cael Schmitt made his UNI debut on Saturday night after missing the first 18 games of the season due to injury.
- Tytan Anderson tied Brian Carpenter (1992-96) for ninth on UNI's all-time steals list with his 138th career steal.
- Anderson is now 14 assists away from joining Seth Tuttle (2011-15), Eric Coleman (2004-08) and Ron Lemons (1975-79) as the fourth player in team history to record 1,000 points, 700 rebounds and 200 assists in their UNI career.
- Ben Schwieger is 30 points away from scoring his 500th career point. The Aurora, Illinois native previously scored 290 points in his two seasons at Loyola-Chicago (2022-24).
UP NEXT
Northern Iowa returns home on Tuesday, Jan. 21 as it takes on the Missouri State Bears.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 online through the UNI Ticket Office, by calling 319-273-4849 or by 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 2024-25 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
