CEDAR FALLS – The UNI men’s basketball team moved to 22-3 overall and 11-2 in the MVC after defeating the Redbirds of Illinois State 71-63 Wednesday night in the McLeod Center.
The Redbirds controlled the majority of the first 20 minutes of the game until the Panthers went on a 21-5 run to take a 40-33 lead going into halftime. The Redbirds shot 44.8% from the field while the Panthers converted on 48.5% of their field goal attempts in the opening 20 minutes.
AJ Green led all scorers in the first half with 12 points. Green hit his 1,000th career point right before halftime. Green becomes just the 43rd Panther to score 1,000 career points. Green also added one rebound and dished out four assists. Austin Phyfe added 10 first-half points all coming in the paint while grabbing three rebounds and two assists. Trae Berhow added seven points and hauled in six rebounds. Spencer Haldeman added six points, one rebound, and one assist.
The Panthers outshot the Redbirds in the second half, shooting 47.8% from the field while holding the Redbirds to 36.4% from the field. AJ Green continued his dominant shooting in the second half, going 6-10 from the field, and 3-6 from beyond the arc to score 15 second-half points.
Trae Berhow recorded his second double-double of the season, grabbing 11 rebounds and adding 17 points. Berhow finished 4-4 from the free-throw line. Austin Phyfe was two rebounds shy of a double-double, recording 12 points and 8 rebounds.
KEY STATS
The Panthers remain undefeated at home going 14-0 in the McLeod Center.
AJ Green scored his 1,000 career point, scoring 27 points, going 10-18 from the field, and 5-9 from three.
Trae Berhow recorded his 2nd double-double of the season.
UP NEXT
The Panthers now look ahead to the Ramblers of Loyola on Saturday, February 15. The Ramblers are 17-9 this season and 9-4 in the MVC. Saturday’s game will tip-off at 7 PM and can be viewed on ESPN2.
