CEDAR FALLS – UNI battled back from down as many as 14 points to pull within one possession, but were unable to overcome Drake’s high-powered shooting as the Panthers fell to the Bulldogs inside the McLeod Center on Wednesday night, 82-74.
UNI and Drake swapped baskets in an active first half offensively as James Betz and Trey Campbell got the Panthers on the board early as the defense forced 7 Bulldogs turnovers, while getting Cole Henry active down low with 6 first half points. Drake would excel from beyond the arc shooting 8-of-14 from beyond the arc thanks to a quick shooting release from Tucker DeVries in the opening stanza. The Panthers were outrebounded 17-11 by Drake as UNI went to the halftime break trailing 41-31.
The Panthers shooting improved into the second half as UNI drained 65.2% of its shots as the back-and-forth shootout continued into the second stanza. UNI was able to draw the Bulldogs into 11 fouls, including putting Drake’s Roman Penn into serious foul trouble down the stretch while gradually chipping away the Bulldogs’ lead. Ege Peksari played a key role with 16 minutes off the bench and a career-high 5 points and a team-high 5 rebounds, helping the Panthers put together key stops to slow the Drake offense. Despite a furious rally, UNI would be unable to match the Bulldogs in the final minutes as Drake pulled away late for the 8-point win.
Bowen Born finished the night with a team-high 16 points and a pair of steals, as Campbell notched 15 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field. Tytan Anderson posted a 12-point game with 2 steals and a block, while Betz scored 11 points with a career-high 3 made baskets from beyond the three-point arc. Henry finished the game with 10 points, his sixth game in double-digit scoring figures this season.
PANTHER NOTES
UNI leads the all-time series with Drake, 51-33. The Bulldogs have won the last two matchups and 6 of the last 10.
The Panthers finished Wednesday’s game shooting 54.9% from the field, its highest mark against an MVC opponent this season.
Bowen Born passed former Panther Erik Crawford (2003-06) for 46th on UNI’s all-time scoring list as part of his 16-point effort. Born is now just 14 points shy of becoming the 45th member of the program’s 1,000 career point club.
Trey Campbell passed 200 career points on Wednesday night. Campbell, Duax and Wolf are part of a group of 7 MVC freshmen who’ve scored at least 150 points in their first season on the court.
UP NEXT
The Panthers hit the road on Saturday afternoon to take on the Missouri State Bears in Springfield. Opening tip is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT at Great Southern Bank Arena, with the game being broadcast on ESPN3 and the Panther Sports Radio Network.
