University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
2-0,0-0MVC
South Dakota State
2-1,0-0Summit League
Smith scores 16 points in UNI men’s basketball win over Jackrabbits
11/9/2025 3:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Panthers improve to 2-0 for the second straight season. UNI hosts Furman on Friday night.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The UNI men's basketball team forced 17 turnovers and led for all but three and a half minutes on Sunday afternoon, defeating the South Dakota State Jackrabbits inside the McLeod Center by a score of 65-58 in non-conference action
Three Panthers scored in double-digit figures including a season-high 16 points from Tristan Smith as UNI improved to 2-0 for the second consecutive season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Will Hornseth opened the contest with six of UNI's first eight points of the afternoon with the other two coming from Max Weisbrod. An and-one layup from Ben Schwieger, a triple from Trey Campbell, and a three from Kyle Pock gave UNI an early 18-11 lead at the under-12 minute media timeout.
Between the under-12 and under-eight minute media timeouts, the Jackrabbits went on a 9-0 run to take a two-point lead at 20-18 at the break. Hornseth, Schwieger, and Tristan Smith knocked down baskets to get the lead back with the six-point run. SDSU held a 5-4 advantage down the stretch of the first half to cut the deficit to three points at halftime. The Panthers led the Jackrabbits 28-25 at the midway point of the contest. Hornseth led the Panthers with eight points and four boards at halftime.
The Panthers would lead for the final 20 minutes of the game as the Jackrabbits cut UNI's lead down to as many as two points. Northern Iowa's offense persisted despite a solid defensive effort by SDSU, shooting 59% from the field with Weisbrod and Leon Bond III each knocking down a pair of three-point baskets each. Smith would score 11 points in the final frame alongside Bond, holding off the Jackrabbits in the final minutes for the seven-point victory.
Tristan Smith led the Cats with 16 points, adding four boards, four assists, and two steals to his total. Will Hornseth and Leon Bond III were the other two Panthers in double-figures with 12 and 11 points respectively. Ben Schwieger led the Panther rebounding effort with five boards. He scored seven points in the matchup.
"We've been good out of the locker room," said head coach Ben Jacobson. "We're making adjustments and coming out of the locker room and have been good that way. We have also been good in the parts of the game where Northridge cut it down in the first half and we answered right before the half to get it back up. South Dakota State did it a couple times where it felt like we may be able to get up 8/10. For this early in the season, this group has been good at staying together in those moments."
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 40-46 all-time against the Jackrabbits in its first victory over SDSU since the 2016-17 season.
- Sunday's win marked the eighth time under head coach Ben Jacobson that the Panthers have started 2-0 to begin a season (2006-07, 2007-08, 2024-25, 2025-26).
- Trey Campbell played in his 100th career game on Sunday, as well as his 65th consecutive start.
- Campbell is also now 71 points away from joining UNI's 1,000 career point club.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action on Friday, Nov. 14 as they host the Furman Paladins. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT inside the McLeod Center with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network (93.5 The Mix).
Single-game and season tickets for the 2025-26 men's basketball regular season can be purchased online through the UNI Ticket Office, by calling 319-273-4849 or through 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). Schedule and roster information, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
