ST. LOUIS – Tytan Anderson set a new program postseason record with 19 rebounds to help lift UNI men’s basketball past the Belmont Bruins in a 67-62 quarterfinal win on Friday at Arch Madness.
Northern Iowa pulled down 12 offensive rebounds and held the Bruins under 40% shooting with 12 turnovers to secure its first MVC Tournament semifinal appearance since 2022. The Panthers will now face the league’s regular season champion and top-seed Indiana State in Saturday’s semifinal at Enterprise Center.
In a heavyweight fight among fast-paced teams, UNI built an early 9-8 lead on the Bruins and held Belmont scoreless for a near four minute stretch before the Bruins rattled off ten straight points. Battling for every rebound, the Panthers outrebounded Belmont by five in the first 20 minutes, withstanding a barrage of Bruin three-point attempts. Trey Campbell and Tytan Anderson would spark the Northern Iowa offense from mid-range and from inside the paint while drawing contact and putting the Panthers into the bonus with multiple free throw attempts. With Anderson dominating the glass and nearly posting a double-double in the opening frame with nine first period rebounds, UNI took a 37-32 lead into halftime.
The Panthers faced a challenge from the Bruins out of the break as Belmont cut UNI’s lead down to a single possession while keeping Northern Iowa from establishing a consistent rhythm offensively. Anderson would continue his dominance off the glass as Jacob Hutson helped establish a strong interior presence against Belmont’s size advantage, while UNI continued to draw contact for trips to the charity stripe. Despite a tough shooting night on both ends of the floor, the Panthers took advantage of bad passes by the Bruins and controlled the offensive rebounding battle to escape with a five-point victory.
Anderson finished the afternoon with a game-high 19 points and career-high 19 rebounds, his fifth double-double of the season and 16th of his career, while also leading the Panthers with three steals. Hutson tallied 14 points, five rebounds and three assists, as Nate Heise posted a 13-point performance with six boards and three assists as well. Campbell tallied 11 points, while Bowen Born finished with eight points.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
UNI has now won consecutive games against Belmont for the first time in program history, improving to 2-3 all-time against the Bruins. Friday was the Panthers’ first-ever meeting against Belmont in the MVC Tournament.
The Panthers improve to 29-25 all-time in the MVC Tournament with Friday’s victory and 9-8 under head coach Ben Jacobson in the quarterfinal round. UNI is also now 5-3 at Arch Madness as the four-seed.
Tytan Anderson’s 19 rebounds set a new program postseason record, breaking Seth Tuttle’s 2014 MVC Tournament mark of 17 rebounds against Southern Illinois. His rebounding mark was also the third-highest total in an MVC Tournament game in the 48-year history of the event.
Anderson has also scored at least one point in 64 consecutive games, the longest streak among active Panthers.
Nate Heise surpassed 900 career points in Friday’s win, becoming the 57th player in school history to reach that milestone.
The Panthers return to action in the semifinal round of the MVC Tournament tomorrow against top-seeded Indiana State. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT with live coverage available on CBS Sports Network and the Panther Sports Radio Network.
