Courtesy: UNI Athletics Communications
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The University of Northern Iowa men’s basketball team used four double-digit scorers and a 25-7 bench scoring advantage to notch a 72-61 non-conference win over Milwaukee in the McLeod Center Saturday.
UNI (4-3 overall) shot 50 percent from the floor and turned the ball over a season-low six times in the win. Milwaukee (2-5 overall) lost its fourth straight game despite drilling 10 three-pointers and out-rebounding UNI, 35-34.
UNI was led in scoring by Nate Buss (17), Seth Tuttle (11), Matt Bohannon (10) and Anthony James (10). Milwaukee’s Paris Gulley scored a game-high 24 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the floor.
Buss set a record for a UNI player in the McLeod Center by shooting 88.9 percent from the floor (8-of-9). The previous mark was 87.5 percent (7-of-8) set on several occasions. Buss made his first eight shots of the night before missing his final attempt. The UNI single-game record for highest field goal percentage is 100 percent (10-of-10 – set two times; Jim Davis vs. Westmark in 1973-74 season; Matt Schneiderman vs. Wayne State in the 2002-03 season).
UNI jumped out to a 7-0 lead that was capped by a Buss three-pointer with 16:41 to go in the first half. Milwaukee bounced back and took its first lead of the game with 8:07 left in the first half on a basket from Gulley.
UNI took a 32-29 lead into the intermission and had turned the ball over once in the first 20 minutes.
Milwaukee took a five-point lead at 41-36 after a three-pointer from Austin Arians with 15:03 left in the game. But a 7-2 run by UNI that was finished off with a thunderous dunk in the lane by Buss tied the game at 43-43 with 12:48 remaining.
UNI then took over the contest with a decisive 14-2 run that turned a 47-46 lead into a 61-48 advantage with 6:19 left in the game. The run was capped by a three-pointer from Marc Sonnen. For Sonnen it marked the 17th straight game he has made a triple.
Milwaukee crept to within 63-57 with 4:02 to go, but could get no closer and the home squad took the final, 72-61.
UNI will return to the floor on Wednesday to take on the Northern Colorado Bears in the McLeod Center. Tip is set for 7 p.m.
NOTES: UNI is 4-1 when leading at the half … UNI has won five of the last six meetings vs. Milwaukee and lead the all-time series, 5-3 … the teams will meet again next season in Milwaukee to complete the four-game series … UNI’s Jake Koch recorded his 90th block of his career and he moves into a tie for fifth place on the Panthers’ all-time block list with Jason Sims (1993-96) … UNI shot 12-of-17 at the foul line, while Milwaukee made just 3-of-8 at the charity stripe.
