CEDAR FALLS – The UNI men’s basketball team battled back from a 12-point second half deficit, but would come up short at home for the first time this season in a 74-69 overtime loss to the Wichita State Shockers on Saturday night inside the McLeod Center.
Northern Iowa forced 14 turnovers on the night and held the Shockers under 40% in the second half, but were outrebounded by a 41-33 margin by Wichita State (12-8 in offense rebounds). The Panthers fall to 7-2 on the season with the loss.
The Panthers battled a physical Shocker lineup in the first half with Wichita State striking early from three-point range. UNI used a 6-0 scoring run out of the under 12 minute media timeout to build a 16-10 lead, but the Shockers would respond with a 10-0 run of their own to retake the lead for the remainder of the half. Northern Iowa, shooting 44.8% from the field would chip away at Wichita State’s lead thanks to eight first half points from Will Hornseth, six points each from both Leon Bond III and Tristan Smith, with Trey Campbell posting four points and four rebounds as the Panthers went to the locker room trailing by seven, 35-28.
Wichita State opened the second half with a 5-0 run before the Panthers responded, taking the lead with a 18-6 run. Drawing contact and pushing the Shockers into foul trouble, both team traded shots in the final minutes of action. Campbell would put UNI ahead by two points with 20 seconds to play in regulation, but Wichita State would tie the game ten seconds later with a pair of free throws to force overtime.
In the extra period, Northern Iowa stretched its lead to five points on a Campbell three-point field goal, but the Shockers would continue to chip away in the closing seconds, taking the lead back for good with 25 seconds remaining on a second-chance layup by Will Berg and closing the game out at the free throw line to hand UNI the five-point loss.
Smith led the Panthers with 16 points in the loss, while Hornseth posted 15 points, tying his season-high with eight rebounds and a career-best four assists. Campbell tallied 14 points and five rebounds, as Bond notched 11 points and six boards and Ismaël Diouf notched a season-high eight points. Ben Schwieger also tied his career-high with five assists.
“It felt like we were in a good position in regulation,” said head coach Ben Jacobson. “We had good opportunities tonight with the guys executing tonight getting into good spots. RJ and Issy were great off the bench and I really enjoyed what they were doing on the floor. They helped change the game. Our depth as we go is going to be something we can really lean on during the season.”
ADDITIONAL NOTES
UNI falls to 28-30 all-time against Wichita State with its fourth consecutive loss to the Shockers.
The Panthers outscored the Shockers by a 42-30 margin, as well as 14-11 off turnovers.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action next Saturday, Dec. 13 as they host the Oakland Golden Grizzlies at home. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT inside the McLeod Center with live coverage of the game can be found on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network (93.5 The Mix).
