KANSAS CITY – UNI men’s basketball posted a furious second half rally but ultimately came up short, falling to the Antelopes of Grand Canyon University in the consolation game of the Hall of Fame Classic at T-Mobile Center, 69-67.
The Panthers struggled in the rebounding battle throughout the entire game as Grand Canyon outrebounded UNI 24-11 during the first 20 minutes of play. While the Panthers were able to shoot 44.4% from the field in the opening stanza, UNI struggled to establish its inside presence against the size of the Antelopes. Tytan Anderson shot 4-of-8 in the first half for 8 points, while Michael Duax scored 7 points with the Panthers entering the halftime break down 41-27.
UNI began to find a rhythm to open the second half with a 5-0 run to begin the period. While Grand Canyon commanded a double-digit lead for much of the game, the Panthers closed the gap in rebounding as Anderson pulled in 7 boards. UNI shot 62.5% from three-point range with Trey Campbell and Bowen Born each knocking down a pair of shots from beyond the arc. Born, who notched 13 second half points, cut the Antelope lead down to 2 points with 23 second remaining. Free throws would play a key factor in the critical final seconds as UNI shot 6-of-12 on the day from the charity stripe.
Born finished with 19 points in the Panther loss, while Anderson recorded his third consecutive game with a double-double, notching a career-high 18 points with 12 rebounds. Duax tied his career-best with an 11-point performance with 5 rebounds, as Campbell posted 10 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists.
PANTHER NOTES
UNI is now 1-2 all-time against Grand Canyon following Tuesday’s game. The road team won each of the first two matchups as the Antelopes clinched Tuesday’s first neutral site meeting.
The Panthers are 23-17 in early season non-conference multi-team events (MTE’s) under head coach Ben Jacobson.
Bowen Born jumped up to 103rd on UNI’s all-time scoring list with 573 career points, passing Jerry McColley (1963-65).
UP NEXT
The Panthers return home to the McLeod Center on Saturday, Nov. 26 at 1 p.m. to host the Northern Illinois Huskies in non-conference action during the first of two TC’s Kids Club Members Days during the season. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and will also be available on the Panther Sports Radio Network.
