University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Saint Mary's
UNI men’s hoops visits Saint Mary’s for non-conference finale
12/20/2025 12:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Panthers battle WCC power in final non-conference matchup on Monday night in California.
UNI men's basketball (9-2 / 1-0 MVC) at RV/RV Saint Mary's (10-2 / 0-0 WCC)
- 9 p.m. CT
- Monday, Dec. 22, 2025
- Morega, Calif. | University Credit Union Arena (3,500)
- WATCH (ESPN+) [Brian Brownfield: Play-by-Play / Steve Kroner: Analyst)
- LISTEN (Panther Sports Radio Network) [J.W. Cox: Play-by-Play]
- LIVE RESULTS
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The UNI men's basketball team will face its biggest test of the non-conference schedule on Monday night as the Panthers close out the non-conference portion of their schedule with a trip out west to California to take on the Saint Mary's Gaels.
Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. CT at Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network (93.5 The Mix) with J.W. Cox on the call.
Saint Mary's holds a narrow 2-1 lead in the all-time series, having won the last matchup in Sioux Falls, South Dakota by two points in 2020, 66-64. UNI's lone victory over the Gaels came at home in 2012, 82-75. Northern Iowa's 9-2 start to this season is its best 11-game start to a season since going 10-1 to open the 2019-20 campaign, which culminated in a Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) regular season title.
The Panthers will look for a key win over a traditional West Coast Conference (WCC) power after rallying for a 60-54 road win at UIC on Wednesday afternoon in their Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) opener. Trailing by four points at halftime, UNI slowly chipped away to record its first win of the season after trailing at the break thanks to an improved rebounding performance and ball security.
Will Hornseth and Trey Campbell both finished the afternoon against UIC with a team-high 15 points, with Horseth shooting seven-of-nine from floor. Leon Bond III scored ten points, along with new career-highs in rebounds (11) and blocks (3) for his first career double-double, while Ben Schwieger tallied nine points and seven boards, with Geon Hutchins posting five points.
UNI ranks in second all of Division I with a 57.6 points per game scoring defense, allowing 60 or fewer points in all but two games this year .The Panthers are also in the top-15 in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.373) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.264) UNI's defense has also forced 14.2 opposing turnovers per game through the first 11 games of the season, third-most in the MVC.
Northern Iowa is 14th in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (1.8), rankings third in the league with 17.2 assists per game. The Panthers also boast the MVC's second-best scoring margin (4.7) and have committed just 9.5 turnovers per game.
Campbell looks to continue to add to the record book against UIC. Having scored his 1,000th career point earlier this month, Campbell also cracked UNI's top-ten list all-time with his 107th career start at UIC earlier this week.
Sophomore forward Will Hornseth looks to continue to be a strong presence inside the paint, recently taking over as UNI's career shooting percentage leader (65.2%) with a minimum of 100 made shots.
SCOUTING SAINT MARY'S
The Gaels host the Panthers in their non-conference finale following an 88-75 win over Florida Atlantic at home on Friday night. Saint Mary's two losses on the year have come against No. 24 Vanderbilt in the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game and a one-point loss at Boise State last week.
Led by longtime head coach Randy Bennett, the Gaels captured the West Coast Conference (WCC) regular season title last year with 29 wins, reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Grand Canyon. Saint Mary's was picked second behind Gonzaga in the WCC's preseason poll.
Like the Panthers, the Gaels boast a strong defense, allowing just 64.8 points per game and defend the three-point arc well at a 29.2% clip. St. Mary's also ranks third in Division I at the free throw line, converting on 79.8% of its attempts.
Paulis Murauskas leads the Gaels with 18.5 points a game, with Mikey Lewis posting 15 points and Joshua Dent 13.6 points. Andrew McKeever ranks 15th in the nation for St. Mary's with 10.3 rebounds per 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). Schedule and roster information, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
