ST. LOUIS — UNI men’s basketball opened up the 2022 edition of Arch Madness with a hot shooting afternoon as the top-seeded Panthers defeated the 8th-seeded Illinois State Redbirds on Friday, 78-65 at the Enterprise Center.
The Panthers improve to 19-10 on the season, while the Redbirds fall to 13-20. UNI now advances to the semifinal round of the MVC Tournament for the seventh time under head coach Ben Jacobson, and first time since 2019.
UNI locked down on defense and emphasized ball movement to create open shots from all areas of the floor, racking up 16 total assists. Having to defend against a Redbird lineup not afraid to shoot the three-point shot, UNI’s ball movement helped create several scoring opportunities for multiple Panthers, including Noah Carter, AJ Green and Trae Berhow. Shooting 51.7% from the field in the opening half, UNI took a 10-point lead into the halftime break, 40-30.
In the second half, the Panther offense continued to attack, capitalizing off of 15 Illinois State turnovers on the day. UNI dominated the offense boards, pulling down 9 offensive rebounds to the Redbirds’ 2 off missed shot attempts, while the Panthers also led the game at the free throw line with 14 made shots. UNI outscored the Redbirds 36-16 in the paint, pulling away late to secure the 13-point victory.
AJ Green led the afternoon with a team-high 17 points with 6 rebounds and a game-high 7 assists, as Noah Carter posted 16 points with 5 boards. Trae Berhow notched 15 points, with Nate Heise scoring 9 points. Bowen Born posted 6 points off the bench, as both Tywhon Pickford and Austin Phyfe scored 6 points each.
