CARBONDALE, Illinois – The UNI men’s basketball team took on the Salukis of Southern Illinois on Wednesday night, falling 66-68 to move to 16-3 overall and 5-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
The Panthers entered halftime trailing the Salukis by two after scoring just 26 points in the opening 20 minutes. The Panthers have scored fewer than 26 points just two other times this season, scoring 24 first half points against CSU Bakersfield and 23 against West Virginia
Trae Berhow led the Panthers in scoring with 15 first half points, going 5-7 from the field and downing 4 of 5 attempts from beyond the arc. Isaiah Brown hauled in a team high 7 rebounds while the Panthers out rebounded the Salukis 23-16.
The Salukis came out firing in the second half, going out to a 16 point lead with 11:18 remaining in the game. The Panthers cut that lead to eight at the eight minute media timeout and fought all the way back to within one but were unable to surpass the Salukis, dropping just their second Valley game on the season.
The Panthers shot 48.2% from the field and downed 10 total three pointers. UNI shot only four free throws on the night, going 2-4 from the charity stripe. The Panthers out rebounded the Salukis 41-26. The Salukis were able to record eight steals on the night while winning the turnover battle 6-16.
KEY STATS
– Trae Berhow lead the Panthers with 22 points (8-11 FG-FGA)
– Austin Phyfe recorded his 5th double-double of the season (16 pts, 10 reb)
– AJ Green finished with 16 points (6-15 FG-FGA)
The Panthers, now 16-3, will host the Ramblers of Loyola in the McLeod Center on Sunday, January 26. The Ramblers are 14-6 and 6-1 in the MVC. Sunday’s game will tip off at 3 PM and will be broadcast on ESPNU.
