ST. LOUIS – The UNI men’s basketball team shut down the Illinois State offense and the Redbirds’ three-point shooting on Friday night, cruising past Illinois State with a 74-52 win in the quarterfinal round of the 2026 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Tournament (“Arch Madness”).
Northern Iowa shot 53% from the floor and buried eight three-point baskets while holding the Redbirds to 15% shooting from beyond the arc. The Panthers led from start to finish with Leon Bond III, Trey Campbell and Ben Schwieger all scoring in double figures.
With the victory, Panther head coach Ben Jacobson picked up his 22nd career win in the MVC Tournament, passing former Creighton coach Dana Altman for the most in the 50-year history of the tournament.
UNI jumped out to an early lead with a 10-2 scoring run to open the game with Campbell hitting from three-point range on the first possession of the game. Despite Illinois State cutting into the Panther lead, Northern Iowa’s defense held the Redbirds for just over three minutes to give UNI an opening to build back its lead. Despite foul pressure from UNI, the Panthers ran its lead to as many as ten points with Will Hornseth giving UNI an eight-point halftime lead with a jump shot at the buzzer to end the first period ahead, 35-27.
In the second stanza, Northern Iowa stretched its lead back to double-digits with RJ Taylor contributing six points off the bench from three-point range. The Panthers’ shot 62.5% from the field in the final 20 minutes of action while outscoring the Redbirds by a 20-8 margin in the paint. Controlling the rebounding battle down the stretch, UNI’s defense held Illinois State to just one three-point in the final frame, pulling away to a 20-plus point lead en route to the 22-point win.
Bond finished the night with a game-high 19 points on nine-of-13 shooting, while Campbell tallied 12 points and six rebounds. Schwieger posted 11 points and a game-high eight rebounds, with Hornseth and Tristan Smith each scoring nine points with Hornseth leading the game with six assists. Max Weisbrod posted eight points as Taylor notched six points.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
UNI improves to 48-47 all-time against Illinois State and snaps a two-game skid to the Redbirds. The Panthers are now 7-6 against Illinois State at Arch Madness.
The Panthers are now 13-13 all-time in Arch Madness quarterfinal games and 10-9 in such games under head coach Ben Jacobson. UNI’s win puts the Panthers into the tournament semifinals for the first time since 2024.
Head coach Ben Jacobson recorded his 22nd MVC Tournament victory on Friday night, passing former Creighton coach Dana Altman for the most in the 50-year history of the tournament.
Friday’s tournament quarterfinal round marked the first time in Arch Madness history that the one, three and four seeds were all eliminated on the same day.
Northern Iowa is now 16-1 in games when leading at halftime.
UNI improves to 16-3 this season when allowing 60 points or fewer.
UNI has made at least one three-pointer in 180 consecutive games, a streak dating back to the 2020-21 season.
Trey Campbell started his 129th career game on Friday, extending his streak to lead all active MVC players. Campbell has also started 97 consecutive contests.
Campbell’s six rebounds on Friday made him the first player in team history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists in a career.
Campbell also passed Nick Nurse (1986-89) for the third-most steals in program history with 166.
Leon Bond III became the 101st player in team history to score 600 points with the Panthers.
Ben Schwieger finished in double-digit scoring figures for the 18th time this season.
UP NEXT
The Panthers will take on second-seeded Bradley in the semifinals of Arch Madness tomorrow afternoon. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT at Enterprise Center with live coverage available on CBS Sports Network and the Panther Sports Radio Network (93.5 The Mix).
Fans in attendance at the tournament are encouraged to attend a pregame rally at the Crown Hall at Ballpark Village in downtown St. Louis across the street from Busch Stadium at 1 p.m. CT.
