CEDAR FALLS – UNI shot over 50% from the field in the second half and overcame a 7-point second half deficit to defeat the Northern Illinois Huskies 83-76 on Saturday afternoon inside the McLeod Center.
With four double-digit scorers led by a career-high 30-point day from Bowen Born, the Panthers outdueled their opponent in a second half shootout with 51 points, capitalizing off turnovers and points in the paint.
Both offenses opened the game with just 3 points in the opening four minutes, but UNI soon took advantage of their missed opportunities, outscoring the Huskies 16-4 on second chance points. NIU would score 11 first half points off 11 Panther turnovers as David Coit notched 10 points in the opening stanza for the Huskies. At the break, Northern Illinois carried a narrow 32-31 lead into halftime.
NIU stretched its lead to 7 points early in the second period, but the Panthers soon turned the tables attacking from inside the paint and from mid-range. Born shot 5-of-9 from the floor and 8-of-10 from the free throw line for 19 second half points as Tytan Anderson found his rhythm with 12 points. Landon Wolf also scored 9 points in the second stanza as UNI outscored the Huskies 51-45 in the half and hold on for the 7-point win.
Aiding Born in his 30-point effort was another career day for Wolf, who finished with a career-high 19 points, 5 rebounds and 7 made shots. Anderson finished with 16 points, 8 rebounds and a pair of blocks, while Michael Duax tied his season-high with 11 points. Trey Campbell also notched 4 steals on defense for the Panthers.
PANTHER NOTES
UNI improves to 15-8 all-time against Northern Illinois with Saturday’s win. The Panthers have now won 4 consecutive games against the Huskies, all coming in the Ben Jacobson era (since 2006-07).
Bowen Born’s 30-point effort against NIU gives him 603 career points, moving him to 94th on UNI’s all-time scoring list, passing Jared Josten (2004-08).
Under head coach Ben Jacobson, the Panthers are 78-9 when scoring 80 or more points in a game.
UNI’s win over Northern Illinois now puts Ben Jacobson 5 wins from passing former Creighton coach Dana Altman for 3rd in all-time wins in Missouri Valley Conference history. Altman, who coached the Bluejays from 1994 to 2010, won 327 games in his 16 years in Omaha.
UP NEXT
The Panthers begin Missouri Valley Conference play on Wednesday night, Nov. 30 as they visit the Bradley Braves in Peoria. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT at Carver Arena. The game will be broadcast live on the ESPN+ and be available on the Panther Sports Radio Network.
