University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
12-8,4-5MVC
Illinois State
14-6,6-3MVC
Panther men’s basketball comes up short in late rally at Illinois State
1/21/2026 10:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UNI drops fifth straight despite late second half push. Panthers host league-leading Murray State on Saturday.
NORMAL, Ill. --- UNI men's basketball cut a 13-point deficit down to as few as three points on Wednesday night, but could not overcome a tough offensive first half and three-point shooting night in a 59-54 loss to the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) preseason favorite Illinois State Redbirds at CEFCU Arena.
After being held without a three-point bucket for the first 30 minutes of the game, Northern Iowa was able to draw contact for 14 second half free throw attempts in a battle between two of the league's top defenses and pull within a single possession despite being held under 40% shooting for a fourth straight game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UNI was held to a season-low 16 first half points as the Panthers were held to just 27% shooting from the field with multiple scoring droughts. Northern Iowa was able to tie the game at 12-12 on an RJ Taylor jump shot and hold Illinois State scoreless on six of seven possessions, but the Panthers' cold shooting would allow the Redbirds to gradually stretch their lead late in the half and take a 24-16 lead into halftime. Ben Schwieger led with six points for UNI, with Will Hornseth and Taylor scoring four points each and Hornseth adding a team-high five rebounds.
Northern Iowa would fall behind by as many as 13 points in the second half as Illinois State's Boden Skunberg drained four three-point baskets despite a 6-0 Panther run to open the period. The Redbirds used an 11-0 scoring run as UNI's offense struggled to respond before hitting its first three-point bucket of the game off the hands of Leon Bond III with just over ten minutes to play. The Panthers would gradually chip Illinois State's lead to under six points in the final minutes, but were unable to make up the deficit, being outscored despite an 11-8 run by UNI to end the game in the five-point loss.
Schwieger finished the night with a team-high 15 points with four rebounds, while Hornseth scored ten points and a team-high seven rebounds plus two steals. Campbell tallied nine points with five boards as Taylor finished with six points.
"We have to continue to be tougher," said head coach Ben Jacobson. "Too many plays were left on the table with a couple of opportunities in and around the basket where we didn't walk away with points. We got going in the last eight minutes which to me was the best part of the game because we were making more plays and being more aggressive."
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI falls to 47-46 all-time against Illinois State with the loss. Each of the Panthers' last three matchups with the Redbirds have been decided by five points or less.
- Wednesday night was the 11th time the Panthers have held their opponent under 60 points, falling to 9-2 in such games.
- Northern Iowa held Illinois State to 28% shooting from beyond the three-point arc (7-of-25), the ninth time in the last ten games the Panthers have held their opponent under 30% from three-point range. UNI has also made at least one three-point basket in 167 consecutive games.
- Both the Panthers and Redbirds recorded season-lows in assists, while Illinois State held UNI to a season-low 16 first half points. Illinois State's 24 first half points were the second fewest scored this year.
- Leon Bond III sits 48 points shy of scoring his 500th point as a Panther.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action on Saturday, Jan. 24 when they host league-leading Murray State. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT at the McLeod Center with live coverage available on CBS Sports Network 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.
