CEDAR FALLS – The UNI men’s basketball team took on the Herd of Marshall in the McLeod Center on Sunday afternoon, moving to 11-1 on the season with an 88-80 victory.
The Panthers entered halftime with a 41-38 lead following a layup by AJ Green with 5 seconds remaining. The Panthers shot 53.6% from the field in the opening 20 minutes, knocking down 5 threes. The Herd were able to covert 88.9% of their three throw attempts while the Panthers shot just 60%.
Trae Berhow led all scorers with 13 points at the break. Berhow went 5-8 from the field and a perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc. Three Panthers hauled in multiple rebounds in the opening 20 minutes in Berhow (4), Austin Phyfe (3), and Antwan Kimmons (3).
The Panthers opened the second half firing on all cylinders, moving out to a 11 point lead in the first two minutes of the half. Isaiah Brown opened the first half with a deep three and backed it up just 20 seconds later with another three to put the Panthers up seven. The Herd were hit with back to back technical fouls, putting sophomore AJ Green at the line for four shots, making all four the Panthers extend their lead to 51-40 with 18:21 remaining in the half.
The Panthers finished shooting 50% from the field and from distance, making 9 of 18 three pointers. UNI committed 20 turnovers in the contest while Marshall turned over the ball just 12 times. The Herd played well in the paint, scoring 36 of their 80 points down low.
KEY STATS
– AJ Green led the Panther scoring effort with 24 points (6-15 from the field, 12-14 from the free throw line).
– AJ Green set a new career record in free throws made with 12.
– Trae Berhow finished with a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds
– Berhow shot 8-12 from the field, 4-4 from beyond the arc, hauled in 5 offensive rebounds and 6 defensive rebounds.
– First time the Panthers have been 11-1 since the 2014-15 season.
– Ben Jacobson has been 11-1 three times, making the mark in the 2014-15 season and the 2009-10 season, both teams won the MVC Tournament and made the NCAA Tournament.
The Panthers finish the non-conference schedule at 11-1 and get a nine day break before the start of conference play. The Panthers will begin their MVC schedule on the road against the Redbird of Illinois State on Tuesday, December 31. The Panthers and Redbirds will tip off at 2 PM, fans can watch the game on ESPN+.
