University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
15-9,9-4MVC
Missouri State
8-16,1-12MVC
UNI men’s basketball sneaks out road win at Missouri State
2/5/2025 9:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Panthers grab fifth straight win over Bears in final regular season matchup as conference opponents. UNI hosts Illinois State on Saturday.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. --- The UNI men's basketball team scratched and clawed its way to the final buzzer on Wednesday night, holding off a hungry and persistent Missouri State squad in a 66-61 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) road win at Great Southern Bank Arena.
Despite being held to 41% shooting, the Panthers shot 19-of-26 from the free throw line and outscored the Bears 18-12 off turnovers, securing their fifth consecutive victory over Missouri State. With the Bears' planned move to Conference USA next season, Wednesday night marked the final regular season conference matchup between the two programs, an annual league rivalry dating back to the 1990-91 season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panthers faced a tough challenge early from three-point range, missing its first seven attempts from beyond the arc, but maintained a 44.4% shooting clip thanks to a strong interior game. Aided by nine made free throws on 11 attempts and eight first half fouls by the Bears, UNI and Missouri State alternated control of the lead six times in the first 20 minutes with five ties. Trey Campbell paced Northern Iowa with 11 points in the opening frame, including its only three pointer of the half with just 41 seconds left in the half, with both Jacob Hutson and Ben Schwieger adding eight points each as the Panthers took a 34-30 lead into halftime.
UNI's three-point shooting picked up thanks to 11 second half points and three made triples. The Panthers continued to struggle to defend the Bears inside as Missouri State tied the game at 42-42 with fouls mounting on both sides. Hutson helped push the UNI offense in the paint on three-of-five shooting in the second half, plus six made free throws. Missouri State gradually continued to chip away and tied the game again at 59-59 before a four-point Panther swing from Tytan Anderson and Hutson put the Panthers ahead for good in the final two minutes.
Both Campbell and Hutson finished with a game-high 20 points each, with Hutson pulling down six rebounds and Campbell dishing out a team-high three assists. Schwieger scored 12 points with six boards in the win with a pair of blocks, as Cael Schmitt scored five points with two rebounds. Will Hornseth tallied four points as Anderson finished with three points and a team-high seven rebounds.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 46-44 all-time against the Bears, completing their second consecutive regular season sweep. Northern Iowa is also 13-3 in games at Great Southern Bank Arena, which opened in 2008.
- Trey Campbell recorded his third 20-point game of the season and fifth of his career. Northern Iowa is 5-0 all-time when Campbell scores 20 or more points.
- Jacob Hutson posted his eighth career game of 20+ points on Wednesday and sixth of the year.
- Wednesday's game marks the fourth time two Panthers have scored 20+ points in a game this season. Jacob Hutson (22) and Ben Schwieger (20) did so against Northern Illinois, with Leon Bond III scoring 37 and Hutson 21 points against Montana. Hutson posted 21 with Campbell scoring 20 against Omaha.
- Tytan Anderson is now four assists away from joining Seth Tuttle (2011-15), Eric Coleman (2004-08) and Ron Lemons (1975-79) as the fourth player in team history to record 1,000 points, 700 rebounds and 200 assists in their UNI career. Also seeking to become the 22nd player in MVC history to reach the milestone.
- Will Hornseth continues to maintain a single-season shooting percentage of .693 on the season (52-of-75), currently on pace to set a new single-season program record.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return home on Saturday to host Illinois State. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT inside the McLeod Center with live coverage available on ESPNU and the Panther Sports Radio Network.
Tickets can be purchased online through the UNI Ticket Office, by calling 319-273-4849 or through email at tickets@uni.edu.
Saturday's contest will also feature UNI's first-ever Panthers In Paradise game with hot tubs, UNI towels, Hawaiian leis and more available for UNI students. All fans are encouraged to wear summer themed attire.
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.
