CEDAR FALLS – A two game road trip through the Windy City and northwest Indiana begins for UNI men’s basketball on Sunday afternoon as the Panthers take on the UIC Flames at Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago.
Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT with live coverage available on ESPN+ as well as the Panther Sports Radio Network.
UNI looks for its fourth straight victory against the Flames and to remain perfect against UIC since its admittance to the MVC in 2022-23. Despite leading the all-time series 13-11, the Panthers have only won at Credit Union 1 Arena twice in their history, posting a 2-8 road record against the Flames. The Panthers knocked off UIC in their first meeting with the Flames back on Jan. 10 in a 67-59 win at home, a victory which game UNI its 700th win as a Division I program.
Northern Iowa will look to string together consecutive wins and begin a new winning streak following a 72-65 home win over Missouri State on Wednesday night. After a hotly contested start to the game, the Panthers slowed the Bears’ high-powered offense and capitalized on 13 opposing turnovers while committing a season-low five turnovers themselves.
Nate Heise led a trio of Panthers scoring in double-digit figures with 17 points with three made three-pointers and five rebounds, while Jacob Hutson posted a 14-point game, highlighted by new career-high performances in rebounds (8) and blocks (3). Bowen Born tallied ten points in the UNI win, as Trey Campbell posted a nine-point game. Tytan Anderson finished the night with seven points and seven rebounds, while Kyle Pock recorded five points with a career-high three steals.
Heise and Born lead the Panthers with 13.6 points per game each this season, with Born ranking second in the MVC and 18th in the nation with a 90% free throw percentage, shooting 63-of-70 on the year from the charity stripe. Born’s accuracy at the free throw line is currently on pace to finish as the third-best single-season mark in program history. He has also scored in double-digit figures in 14 of his last 16 games.
Heise has posted six rebounds per contest, while Anderson, who is riding a 56-game streak of scoring at least one point, is averaging a team-leading 6.2 rebounds per game. At the three-point arc, Campbell is shooting 42.6% to the tune of 9.2 points a game, while Hutson posts a shooting clip at 56.6% with a career-best 8.5 points per game as the Panthers’ key inside man.
On milestone watch, the Panthers can pick up their 1,400th win in program history with a victory on Sunday, while head coach Ben Jacobson can earn his 350th career triumph. Born sits 25 points away from cracking into UNI’s top-ten all-time list. Campbell needs just three boards to reach 200 in just his second year of collegiate basketball. Hutson can also reach 200 career boards with his next nine rebounds.
UIC FLAMES
UIC hosts the Panthers after snapping an eight-game skid on Wednesday night against Illinois State, 61-56.
The Flames boast the MVC’s top blocking defense with 5.5 blocks per game and have held their opponents to 29.1% shooting from beyond the three-point arc, the second-best mark among league defensive units.
Isaiah Rivera leads the UIC offense with a 14.7 points per game average, with CJ Jones averaging 10.9 points. Toby Okani leads the MVC with 2.1 blocks a game and has posted 5.9 rebounds per contest along with 10.5 points.
