University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
19-12,11-9MVC
Drake
12-19,6-14MVC
UNI men’s basketball cruises to 75-53 win at Drake
3/1/2026 4:39:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Panthers close regular season with road win over in-state rival for program’s 750th Division I victory. Seeding for Arch Madness still to be finalized.
DES MOINES, Iowa --- UNI men's basketball's defense stepped up to the plate on Sunday afternoon with 15 forced turnovers while holding Drake to 31% shooting as the Panthers rolled to a 75-53 road win over the Bulldogs inside the Knapp Center in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) action.
Northern Iowa held Drake to a season-low for points against a Division I program and led by double-digits for a large majority of the second half, finishing the game with a 51.9% shooting clip and 54.5% mark from beyond the three-point arc. UNI finishes the regular season with a 19-12 record and 11-9 mark in league play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UNI rode a hot late hand in the first half after a tight start to the game where the Bulldogs knocked down a pair of three-pointers early. The Panthers responded with an 8-0 scoring run with buckets from Will Hornseth and RJ Taylor to take a six-point lead before Drake responded with its own 7-0 run to reclaim the lead. Northern Iowa, which forced 11 turnovers in the first 20 minutes of action, dominated the final six minutes of the period with an impressive 20-2 run, including a pair of Weisbrod triples and layups by Ben Schwieger. Hornseth ended the half with a deep three-pointer at the buzzer, scoring a team-high 12 points in the opening stanza to give UNI a 39-24 halftime lead.
Tristan Smith helped charge the Panther offense with a ten-point second half as Northern Iowa maintained a healthy double-digit lead through much of the second period. Despite the Bulldogs knocking down five three-point baskets and cutting UNI's lead to single-digits, the Panthers continued to attack the paint while Drake battled on the offensive end of the floor for his own rebounds. The Panthers would command the final eight and a half minutes of the game, holding the Bulldogs to just two made field goals with UNI scoring on four straight possessions, including Hunter Jacobson's first career basket to roll to the 22-point win.
Hornseth finished the afternoon with a game-high 16 points on seven-of-11 shooting and four assists, with Schwieger posting 15 points and 12 points from Smith. Campbell tallied nine points with a season-high eight rebounds in the win along with four assists, while Weisbrod and Leon Bond III each scored six points.
"Our defense felt good from the start today and really connected," said UNI head coach Ben Jacobson. "I liked our physicality, our movement, our rebounding in the first half to go with what we were doing offensively. We could hear guys talking to each other too which made things run smoothly."
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 55-35 all-time against the Bulldogs in its first win in Des Moines since 2022. The Panthers also secured their first regular season sweep of Drake since 2020.
- Sunday's win marked the program's 750th victory as a Division I program. UNI has tallied 1,444 wins all-time.
- Northern Iowa ends the regular season having held 14 of its last 21 opponents at or under 30% shooting from three-point range.
- The Panthers also improve to 14-3 this season when allowing 60 points or fewer.
- The Panthers have made at least one three-pointer in 178 consecutive games, a streak dating back to the 2020-21 season.
- Trey Campbell started his 127th career game on Sunday, extending his streak to lead all active MVC players. Campbell has also started 95 consecutive contests.
- Campbell's two steals against the Bulldogs brings his season total to 50, becoming the tenth player in program history to record a 50+ steal season and first since Jeremy Morgan did so in consecutive seasons (2016, 2017).
- Tristan Smith made his first start since UNI's Jan. 4 road game at Evansville on Sunday.
- Will Hornseth surpassed 500 career points in Sunday's game, becoming the 118th player in Panther history to do so and third different UNI athlete to reach the milestone this season. Hornseth has now also scored ten or more in his last 12 games.
- Max Weisbrod has hit multiple three-point field goals in six straight games, the longest stretch of his UNI career.
UP NEXT
The Panthers head to St. Louis for the 2026 State Farm MVC Men's Basketball Tournament, commonly known as "Arch Madness." UNI's official seeding and first round matchup, scheduled for Thursday, March 5 at the Enterprise Center, is yet to be finalized.
Live coverage of the opening round of Arch Madness can be found on the MVC TV Network/ESPN+ 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.
