PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – UNI men’s basketball closed out the 2023 edition of the Battle 4 Atlantis in resounding fashion on Friday night, leading virtually wire-to-wire in a commanding 73-51 win over the Stanford Cardinal to claim seventh-place in the Thanksgiving multi-team event (MTE) in the Bahamas.
Northern Iowa’s offense tied season-highs in both field goal attempts and made shots as it dominated Stanford off the glass, holding the Cardinal under 40% shooting to snap a three-game skid.
With the victory, head coach Ben Jacobson picked up his 337th career win, tying him with former Creighton and Saint Louis coach Eddie Hickey for second on the Missouri Valley Conference’s (MVC) all-time wins list.
UNI’s offense came out with a strong start to the game for a third straight day, firing on all cylinders on 54.1% field goal shooting and six made three-point baskets. Northern Iowa’s control of the ball was on full display in the opening period as the Panthers forced seven first half turnovers with five steals with no turnovers, including a pair of takeaways by Trey Campbell. Nate Heise and Kyle Pock both knocked down a pair of three-point buckets as Tytan Anderson and Jacob Hutson commanded UNI’s offense in the paint with 16 combined points. Northern Iowa used a 19-4 run to build a lead as large as 22 points, heading into the halftime break ahead 49-27.
The Panthers maintained a healthy double-digit lead the remainder of the night, never letting the Cardinal pull within less than 19 points in the final 20 minutes of play. Bowen Born led UNI with eight second half points with Campbell scoring six points as Northern Iowa shot 35.5% in the second period. Despite a slower offensive output, UNI’s defense continued to apply pressure on Stanford, who shot just 32.1% in the closing half of play and finished with a 36.5 shooting percentage on the night. The Panthers outrebounded the Cardinal 41-33 and 9-4 in offensive rebounds, finishing the night with a bang to secure the 22-point victory.
Heise finished the night with a game-high 15 points on five-of-ten shooting, while Hutson tallied a 12-point, four-rebound performance. Born recorded 11 points with a pair of assists with Anderson scoring ten points and a game-high eight rebounds, and both Campbell and Pock finishing with six points each.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
UNI evens the all-time series with Stanford at one win a piece with Friday’s victory. The only other meeting with the Panthers and Cardinal came at the 2012 Battle 4 Atlantis.
The Panthers improve to 24-20 all-time in multi-team events (MTE’s).
Friday night’s win is Northern Iowa’s first over a Pac-12 opponent since edging No. 23 Colorado in Boulder, 79-76. The 22-point victory is also UNI’s largest ever against a Pac-12 team.
UNI’s 49 first-half points were the most scored in any half this season.
Bowen Born’s 11 points move him into UNI’s top-30 on the all-time scoring list with 1,120 career points, passing David Gruber (2001-04) and Jake Koch (2009-13).
UP NEXT
The Panthers return home next Wednesday, November 29 to open MVC play against the Belmont Bruins. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT inside the McLeod Center with live coverage available on the MVC TV Network and the Panther Sports Radio Network.
