CEDAR FALLS – The Panthers tied South Florida in the final seconds of regulation, but UNI would ultimately fall short after a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer as the Bulls defeated the Panthers 72-69 inside the McLeod Center on Monday night.
South Florida jumped out to a fast lead thanks to 11 quick points by Tyler Harris while the Panthers struggled to get their shots to fall. USF took advantage of 10 first half Panther turnovers, scoring 17 points of UNI giveaways as the Bulls hit 8-of-12 three-point shot attempts. UNI quickly turned the tables in the final 10 minutes of the period, forcing turnovers and establishing an attack from inside the paint. The Panther defense held the Bulls to just 9 points in the final 10 minutes of the opening stanza, while shooting 9-of-16 inside the lane alone, quickly erasing South Florida’s early 14-point lead and heading to the locker room down just one point, 42-41.
After a slow shooting start to the second half, the Panthers crawled back twice in the final 5 minutes of play. Holding the Bulls to 39.3% shooting in the final frame and capitalizing on 7 missed USF free throws, Trey Campbell pulled UNI back within one-point at 68-67 with 20 seconds to play in regulation. South Florida’s Serrel Smith Jr. would make one-of-two free throw attempts after being fouled before Bowen Born tied the game at 69 with 4 seconds to play. The Bulls would have the final shot however, as Harris hit a deep three-point shot at the buzzer to hand UNI the tough three-point loss.
Anderson finished the game with a team-high 16 points and seven rebounds, while Michael Duax, Cole Henry and Landon Wolf each scored 10 points each. James Betz notched 8 points in the loss as Campbell tallied 5 points with a pair of steals.
PANTHER NOTES
Monday night’s game was the first all-time meeting between UNI and South Florida.
The Panthers shot 51% from the field in Monday’s loss, the third game in which UNI has shot over 50% this season.
UNI’s 81.3% mark from the free throw line against the Bulls is a season-high.
The Panthers narrowly outscored USF 34-30 in the paint. South Florida edged UNI 23-20 in points off turnovers.
UP NEXT
UNI will hit the road this Saturday as the Panthers take on the reigning Colonial Athletic Association regular season champion Towson Tigers in the inaugural Legends of Basketball Showcase in Chicago. Tip-off is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT at the United Center with the game being broadcast live on the Panther Sports Radio Network.
