University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
8-2,0-0MVC
Oakland
5-6,1-0Horizon
UNI men’s basketball outlasts Oakland in 75-63 home win
12/13/2025 8:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Panthers round out non-conference home schedule with 12-point win. UNI visits UIC on Wednesday for MVC opener.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The UNI men's basketball team held the Horizon League's top scoring offense under 65 points and pushed across the finish line in the final five minutes of regulation for a 75-63 win over the Oakland Golden Grizzlies on Saturday night in the Panthers' non-conference home finale.
Northern Iowa forced 17 Oakland turnovers and shot 44.8% from the field to pick up its eighth win of the season against two losses, thanks to a season-high 26 point night from Leon Bond III and a double-double performance from Tristan Smith.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UNI and Oakland traded leads in a hotly contested first half with the Panthers shooting 42.9% from the field. Northern Iowa's defense forced ten Golden Grizzlies turnovers but could only churn out four points off takeaways in the opening period. Led by a 14-point half by Bond and ten points from Smith, the Panthers gradually chipped away at Oakland's narrow lead with Trey Campbell knocking down two of UNI's four three-point baskets in the half, while using a 6-0 scoring run to take at 25-22 lead, as well as a 9-0 run to close out the half for a 38-30 advantage heading into halftime.
Northern Iowa extended its halftime lead to as many as 15 points in the first five minutes of the second period, kick started by a 7-0 run. The Panthers would face an offensive struggle and missed free throw opportunities as the clock continued to wind down, allowing Oakland to storm back and pull within two points at 57-55 with five minutes to play. UNI would build its lead back in the final minutes however Bond and Ben Schwieger hit a jumper and consecutive layups respectively, with Kyle Pock's three-point basket pushing the Panther lead back to nine en route to a 12-point victory.
Bond finished the night with a season-high 26 points plus seven rebounds in the win, while Smith posted his first Division I double-double with 18 points and a season-high 11 rebounds. Campbell tallied 14 points with three made triples and three steals, as Will Hornseth recorded nine points and five boards. Schwieger posted six points with new career-highs in assists (7) and steals (4), with Pock posted five points.
I give our guys a lot of credit for being aggressive, but also keeping things as simple as they can offensively against a really good defense," said head coach Ben Jacobson. "Our transition defense was also very good tonight. Oakland's execution was really good and I thought our guys responded and did really well defensively."
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Saturday's game was the first all-time meeting between UNI and Oakland in men's basketball.
- Northern Iowa has held nine of its first ten opponents under 70 points this season, including six under 60 points. UNI boasts the top scoring defense in Division I at 58 points per game.
- Leon Bond III recorded his second 20+ point game of the season on Saturday, including his fourth career game with 20 or more points.
- Saturday marked Tristan Smith's 27th career double-double game and his first as a Panther.
- Ben Schwieger surpassed 400 points in his UNI career on Saturday, now sitting 98 points shy of becoming the 116th member of the Panthers' 500 career point club.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action next Wednesday, Dec. 17 as they open Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play at UIC. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT at Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago with live coverage of the game can be found on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network (93.5 The Mix).
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.
