CEDAR FALLS – UNI men’s basketball won the “Clash of the Cats” on Tuesday night, grabbing a 74-55 non-conference win over the Prairie View A&M Panthers inside the McLeod Center.
Northern Iowa held its opponents to under 40% shooting from the floor and sank a season-high 23 free throws, while controlling the defensive rebounding battle and dishing out 11 assists.
UNI perimeter ball movement and defense made an impact in the first half as the purple and gold shot 48% from the floor, while holding Prairie View A&M scoreless during two separate four minute stretches. Nate Heise dominated the opening period with a 19-point first half performance, highlighted by a pair of dunks off assists by Tytan Anderson and Drew Daniel. Northern Iowa held Prairie View A&M to just 29.6% shooting from the field, controlling the rebounding battle with 15 defensive boards, as well as five offensive rebounds. Anderson contributed eight points, with five points from Bowen Born as the Panthers took a 38-23 lead into halftime on Prairie View A&M.
Northern Iowa’s hot shooting continued in the second half as Trey Campbell opened the second stanza with the first of four second-half three-pointers for the Panthers. UNI drew contact to earn 23 free throw attempts in the second period while continuing to crash the boards to extend its lead out to as many as 21 points. Heise continued to pressure Prairie View A&M in the paint while Anderson and Bowen Born both cracked double-digit scoring figures down the stretch as the Panthers maintained a double-digit lead for the final 20 minutes of play for the 19-point victory.
Heise finished the night with a career-high 25 points on six-of-nine shooting with 11 made free throws, two blocks and a season-best ten rebounds for a double-double performance. Anderson posted 17 points with seven rebounds on four-of-five shooting with nine made free throws, a pair of steals and a game-high three assists. Born tallied 13 points, including three made baskets from three-point range, while Campbell finished with eight points. Michael Duax record five points, with Landon Wolf draining one three pointer.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Northern Iowa improves to 2-0 all-time against Prairie View A&M. Tuesday’s game was the first meeting between the programs since 1985.
UNI remains undefeated all-time against the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) at 7-0 following Tuesday’s game.
The Panthers have made at least eight three-point field goals in each of their last five games.
UNI dominated the glass in the defensive rebounding battle, grabbing 30 defensive rebounds to Prairie View A&M’s 19.
Nate Heise’s 25-point, ten-rebound double-double was the second of his career, and first since Dec. 14, 2021 against Jackson State. Heise also surpassed 300 career rebounds in the win, and moved ahead of Van Combs (1946-49) for 93rd on the program’s all-time scoring list.
Tytan Anderson has scored at least one point in 43 consecutive games, the longest scoring streak among active Panthers. Anderson, who ranks in the top-100 in scoring in all-time in UNI history, also became the 97th player in program history to score 600+ career points, passing Ray Nissen (1954-56), Chip Rank (2010-14), Paul Jesperson (2014-16) and Jared Josten (2004-08) for 96th on Northern Iowa’s all-time scoring list.
Bowen Born became the 23rd player in program history to surpass 1,200 career points with his 13-point outing, passing Deon Mitchell (2011-15) and Craig Kneppe (1963-66) for 21st on UNI’s all-time scoring list.
The Panthers return to action on Sunday afternoon to host the Alcorn State Braves in their final non-conference home contest. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT at the McLeod Center with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network.
