CEDAR FALLS – The UNI men’s basketball team withstood a barrage of three-point attempts from Belmont on Wednesday night as the Panthers improved to 3-0 in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play with a 76-70 victory over the Bruins inside the McLeod Center.
Northern Iowa shot 45.3% from the field with four starters finishing in double-digit scoring figures to secure the program’s first 3-0 conference start since the 2009-10 season. Wednesday’s game also marked another milestone for head coach Ben Jacobson, who coached in his 600th career game.
The Panthers jumped on the Bruins quickly in the first half thanks to a solid 50% shooting performance in the half, led by 11 points from Trey Campbell. UNI attacked the interior early and outscored Belmont 24-12 inside the paint, using a key 13-0 scoring run to build a double-digit lead, while also sinking three-point baskets from Campbell, Jacob Hutson and Kyle Pock. Northern Iowa’s 14-point lead would shrink back to single-digits as the Bruins made five of their final seven shots of the half, giving UNI a 39-34 halftime lead.
Leon Bond III, Tytan Anderson and Ben Schwieger helped pace the Panthers through a second half that saw Belmont step up the pressure on offense, including 19 three-point attempts. The Panthers used a six minute stretch and a 12-2 run to build its lead while also holding the Bruins scoreless for just over five minutes in the first half of the final period. Bond’s seven second half rebounds played a key role in UNI maintaining its lead through the final 20 minutes of play as the Bruins cut into the Northern Iowa lead while Anderson scored ten points in the final frame. Late layups from Anderson and free throws by Schwieger and Anderson would help ice the game as UNI held on for a six-point win.
Anderson finished the night with a team-high 18 points, while tying his season-highs in both steals (3) and blocks (2). Bond posted 15 points and matched his career-high with nine rebounds, as Campbell also tallied 15 points, five boards and a team-high four assists. Schwieger posted ten points and tied his career-high with nine rebounds, while Will Hornseth and Hutson each scored five points.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Northern Iowa evened its all-time series record with Belmont with Wednesday night’s win at 3-3. The win was the Panthers’ first at home against the Bruins and third in a row overall.
UNI head coach Ben Jacobson coached his 600th career game on Wednesday night, joining Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Henry P. Iba as the only other coach in MVC history to coach at least 600 games in the league.
Senior center Jacob Hutson is now just three points shy of his 500th point as a Panther, looking to become the 115th member of the program’s 500 career point club. Hutson previously scored 254 points at Loyola-Chicago (2020-23).
UNI outscored the Bruins 40-22 in the paint on Wednesday.
UP NEXT
Northern Iowa returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 4 as it visits Valparaiso. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT at the Athletics-Recreation Center, with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network.
