PEORIA, Ill. – The University of Northern Iowa men’s basketball team hung on for a 63-52 win at Bradley on Tuesday at Carver Arena.
The Panthers led by as many as 23 points in the second half before the Braves trimmed the lead to six with 1:18 left in the game. UNI was able to drain nine out of 10 free throws to close out the 11-point win.
UNI (15-2 overall, 4-1 MVC) used a 26-4 run in the first half to turn a 5-5 tie into a 31-9 lead with 7:52 on the clock. UNI made 10 of its first 12 shots of the game, including four of its first five attempts from 3-point land.
UNI led 35-18 at the half. It marks the sixth time this season that UNI has held an opponent to less than 20 points in a half. Bradley (6-12 overall, 1-4 MVC) was limited to 25.9 percent shooting in the first half as the Braves made 7-of-27 shots from the field.
Seth Tuttle led UNI with 15 points and seven rebounds. Nate Buss added 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Junior Paul Jesperson contributed with a trio of 3-pointers as well.
Bradley was led by Auston Barnes, who tallied 14 points.
UNI will return home to play Missouri State on Sunday at 3 p.m. in the McLeod Center. The game will be televised live on ESPNU.