CEDAR FALLS – It took a full 60-minute game through an intense defensive battle, but UNI men’s basketball was able to escape with a 61-57 victory over Southern Illinois on Saturday night inside the McLeod Center, securing its fourth straight win and ninth victory in its last 11 games.
The Panthers continued their stellar defensive play at home against the Salukis, holding SIU to under 60 points at home for a 17th consecutive home contest dating back to 2008. UNI is also 16-1 against Southern Illinois inside the McLeod Center during that span.
As has become custom with UNI home matchups with Southern Illinois, the Panthers battled the Salukis in a defensive slugfest in the first half. Northern Iowa grabbed an early 10-6 lead, holding SIU to 18.2% from beyond the three-point arc and holding the nation’s third-leading scorer with zero points in the first 20 minutes of play. The Panthers would struggle to outrebound Southern Illinois, but would make nine-of-12 free throw attempts in the opening stanza to keep pace with SIU’s speed. UNI would lead by as many as six points in the final six minutes of the half, led by a nine-point half by Michael Duax and seven points from Tytan Anderson, heading into the locker room down by just one point, 30-29.
The physicality of Saturday’s game continued into the second half as UNI struggled early to kick start its offense in the opening minutes. In a game that featured 14 lead changes, Northern Iowa took the lead on a Bowen Born three-point basket with just under five minutes to play and didn’t look back. The Panthers drew 15 personal fouls and converted on nine made free throws to ice the Salukis, who made a final push in the final seconds with a pair of three-point shots as UNI held on for the four-point victory.
Born finished the night with a team-high 16 points on five-of-eight shooting, while Nate Heise tallied 15 points with eight rebounds and a pair of steals. Anderson posted a 13-point performance on 50% shooting from the field with three rebounds, as Duax closed with nine points after a strong first half. Jacob Hutson finished with five points.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Southern Illinois leads the all-time series 39-37 following the Panthers’ win on Saturday night.
The UNI men’s basketball team recorded its 199th program win inside the McLeod Center with its victory over SIU. The Panthers are 199-62 (.762) since the building opened for competition in November 2006.
Northern Iowa grabbed its 1,397th win in school history on Saturday night.
Tytan Anderson extended his streak of scoring at least one point in 51 consecutive games, the longest streak among active Panthers.
UNI was held to just eight three-point field goal attempts against SIU, the fewest attempted this season and fewest since Feb. 20, 2019 at Missouri State (9).
UP NEXT
The Panthers return home on Tuesday, January 23 to host the Evansville Purple Aces at 7 p.m. CT inside the McLeod Center. Live coverage of the game can be found on the Panther Sports Network (see local listings) and the Panther Sports Radio Network. Tickets can be purchased online at UNIpanthers.com/tickets, or by calling the ticket office at 319-273-4849.
Fans are encouraged to wear pink for Tuesday night’s game as part of the program’s annual Hope Always Game in support of the fight against cancer.
