University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Valparaiso
Panther men’s hoops take three-game winning streak to Valparaiso
1/2/2025 12:54:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UNI looks for fifth straight win over the Beacons on Saturday afternoon in Indiana.
UNI men's basketball (9-5 / 3-0 MVC) at Valparaiso (8-6 / 1-2 MVC)
- 3 p.m. CT | Jan. 4, 2025
- Valparaiso, Ind. | Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000)
- ESPN+ (Telly Hughes: Play-by-Play / Kevin Lehman: Analyst)
- Panther Sports Radio Network (J.W. Cox: Play-by-Play / Kevin Boyle: Analyst)
- LIVE STATS
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The UNI men's basketball team will take its unbeaten Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) record on the road this weekend as it visits northwest Indiana to take on the Valparaiso Beacons.
Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT with live coverage on the ESPN+, as well as the Panther Sports Radio Network with J.W. Cox and Kevin Boyle on the call.
The Panthers hold a commanding 33-5 lead in the all-time series against the Beacons with four straight wins over Valparaiso. UNI is also 14-4 against the Beacons on the road.
UNI, which has won six of its last seven games, looks to ride a hot shooting hand, ranking third in all of Division I with a 51.7% shooting clip. UNI is also 12th nationally in effective field goal percentage (58.3%).
Northern Iowa will look to continue its hot start to league play following a 76-70 win over Belmont at home on New Year's Day, pushing the Panthers to a 3-0 MVC start for the first time since the 2009-10 season. UNI shot 45.3% from the field and outscored the Bruins 40-22 inside the paint, while the Panther defense withstood a barrage of 39 three-point attempts from Belmont.
Tytan Anderson posted a team-high 18 points in Northern Iowa's win over Belmont while also tying his season-highs in both steals (3) and blocks (2). Leon Bond III posted 15 points and matched his career-high with nine rebounds, as Trey Campbell also tallied 15 points, five boards and a team-high four assists. Ben Schwieger posted ten points and tied his career-high with nine rebounds, while Will Hornseth and Jacob Hutson each scored five points.
Anderson, the MVC's leader in free throw attempts and also cracked the program's top-ten all-time steals list in his last game, leads UNI with a 13.8 points per game average and team-high 6.1 rebounds a game on 56.4% shooting. Hutson, who is just eight points shy of surpassing 500 points in his Panther career with five games of 20+ points this year, has notched 13.1 points and 3.6 rebounds.
Bond has posted 11.9 points per game with a 59.5% shooting clip, as Campbell leads Northern Iowa with a team-high 47 assists on the year and 10.2 points. Having started the last six games, Schwieger has recorded 9.7 points with 3.8 rebounds on 50% shooting, with freshman Will Hornseth shooting 32-of-39 on the year (82.1%).
SCOUTING VALPARAISO
The Beacons return home to the Athletics-Recreation Center after a heart stopping 73-72 win at Missouri State on Wednesday night for its first MVC win of the season.
Valparaiso went 7-4 during the non-conference portion of the schedule, which included a 22-point comeback in the final seven minutes with a game-winning half court shot at the buzzer to beat Western Michigan on the road.
Led by second year head coach Roger Powell, the Beacons were picked tenth in this year's MVC preseason poll with forward Cooper Schwieger earning first team preseason all-conference honors.
Valparaiso is shooting a league-best 79.6% from the free throw line, ranking 13th in the nation. The Beacons are also the MVC's best team in holding on to the ball, committing a league-low 10.4 turnovers per game.
Schwieger leads Valparaiso with a 14.2 points per game average with seven rebounds a game. Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro, the MVC's leader in made free throws, has posted 12.4 points a game, while Tyler Schmidt and All Wright have also posted over ten points a 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 2024-25 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
