University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
12-7,4-4MVC
Valparaiso
9-10,3-5MVC
UNI men’s hoops stumbles in road loss at Valparaiso
1/17/2026 4:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Panthers struggle to shoot the ball in loss to Beacons. UNI visits Illinois State on Wednesday.
VALPARAISO, Ind. --- The UNI men's basketball team battled through a low-scoring contest on Saturday afternoon, but would ultimately come up short in a 54-44 loss to the Valparaiso Beacons inside the Athletics-Recreation Center.
Northern Iowa struggled in the final four minutes of the ball game without a basket as the Beacons outscored the Panthers 11-0 to hand UNI its fourth straight loss.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UNI struggled to find the bottom of the net in the opening frame and to rebound against Valparaiso's interior size. The Beacons would build a 15-6 lead on the Panthers before Northern Iowa ended a seven minute, 20 minute scoring drought on a goaltending call. UNI would respond with a 9-0 scoring run to tie the game at 15-15, but continued to struggle on 32% shooting in the half, heading into half time facing a four-point deficit, 22-18. Max Weisbrod led the Panthers with six points, with four points each from Ben Schwieger, Will Hornseth and Trey Campbell.
Northern Iowa started the second half with an impressive 14-3 run to take a 31-25 lead on the Beacons, but was unable to slow down Valparaiso as personal fouls mounted against UNI. The Panthers tied the game up again at 36 and 38 on dunks by Schwieger and Leon Bond III, while taking the lead back on a Hornseth layup with just over four and a half minutes to play. UNI wouldn't score for the remainder of the game with Valparaiso scoring 11 straight points to close out the ten-point win over the Panthers.
Schwieger led UNI with ten points in the loss, while Weisbrod scored all nine of his points from beyond the arc with six rebounds, along with nine points from Campbell. Hornseth tallied eight points and a team-high eight rebounds with Bond adding eight points and five boards.
"I really liked our execution in the first half with different guys, but we couldn't get any points out of it," said head coach Ben Jacobson. "Defensively, we were really good. The guys executed very well to start the second half, but then we hit that tough stretch where we couldn't score. It will come around in time and it will give us what we're looking for."
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI falls to 34-8 all-time with its loss to Valparaiso.
- Northern Iowa's loss is its first this year when holding an opponent under 60 points (9-1). The Panthers have held all but three opponents under 70 points on the season.
- The Panthers improve to 3-2 (.600) in coaches challenges this season after a successful review in the first half.
- Trey Campbell's streak of making at least one three-point field goal in ten consecutive games was snapped on Saturday. Campbell had previously made a three-pointer in every game since Dec. 6 against Wichita State.
- Leon Bond III sits 58 points shy of scoring his 500th point as a Panther.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 21 as they visit the Illinois State Redbirds. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT at CEFCU Arena in Normal with live coverage available on ESPNU 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.
