University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
18-9,12-4MVC
Murray State
13-14,7-9MVC
Panther men’s hoops win fifth straight in neutral site win over Racers
2/17/2025 8:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UNI extends longest winning streak of the season with four games to play in the regular season. Panthers visit Belmont on Wednesday night.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. --- Twenty-six hours after its road game against Murray State was postponed and relocated, the UNI men's basketball team put on a strong showing in the Music City, defeating the Racers by a score of 74-67 inside Belmont's Curb Event Center on Monday night in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play.
Rescheduled and moved to Tennessee as a result of power outages due to regional flooding in the western Kentucky region, Northern Iowa showed no signs of rust despite the change in schedule and venue, shooting 45.3% from the field. UNI also put on an impressive display in the rebounding battle, pulling in eight offense boards and recording seven steals, securing the Panthers' season-high fifth consecutive win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Murray State jumped out to a quick 10-4 lead to open Monday night's neutral site contest, but the Panthers would storm back out of the first media timeout with a 10-0 scoring run, led by seven straight points from Ben Schwieger with Trey Campbell draining the first of three first half three pointers. The Northern Iowa defense stepped up and held the Racers without a field goal on six straight possessions as Murray State racked up nine total fouls in the opening frame to help the Panthers get to the free throw line. Outrebounding the Racers by a 20-15 margin, UNI withstood six made triples from Murray State in the first half as Campbell scored 11 points, and ten points a piece from both Tytan Anderson and Schiwger as the Panthers took a 37-34 lead into halftime.
Both Northern Iowa and Murray State shot an even 44.4% on 12-of-27 shooting in the second stanza as the Racers tied the game twice on a pair of layups at 39 and 41. A go-ahead three-point basket by Campbell and layup by Will Hornseth would put the Panthers back in front and trigger a 9-0 UNI, pushing the purple and gold back in front by nine. Northern Iowa's defense would play a key factor in the Panthers stretching their lead to as many as 12 points down the stretch, holding the Racers without a field goal for nearly four and a half of the final six minutes as Campbell posted ten points in the final frame en route to a seven-point win.
Campbell finished with a game-high 21 points with five made three pointers and four rebounds, while Anderson tallied 19 points and six rebounds. Schwieger also posted 19 points with six boards on seven-of-ten shooting and a team-high four assists. Hornseth ended the night with seven points, while Max Weisbrod posted four points late in the second half.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 3-2 all-time against Murray State, splitting the regular season series with the Racers for a second straight season.
- Monday's game marked the first regular season conference game for the Panthers to be played at a neutral venue since 1995. All three previous MVC games during the regular season played at a neutral site also involved the Panthers during the 1994-95 season in contests against Wichita State, Bradley and Drake, which were all played at the then U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids due to a UNI-Dome roof collapse.
- UNI is now 16-0 on the year when leading at halftime, as well as 16-0 when leading with five minutes to play in regulation.
- Northern Iowa is 6-0 this season when Trey Campbell scores 20 or more points. The Panthers are also 13-4 this year when Tytan Anderson posts 15+ points.
- Will Hornseth continues to maintain a single-season shooting percentage of .696 on the season (62-of-89), currently on pace to set a new single-season program record.
UP NEXT
UNI returns to action on Wednesday night when they visit Belmont. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT at the Curb Event Center in Nashville with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network.
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.
