CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The UNI men’s basketball team added one to the win column on Sunday night, defeating Valparaiso 74-60.
UNI and Valparaiso traded leads in the first half in a tight opening 20 minutes. Trae Berhow downed a three with 7:49 remaining in the half to give the Panthers a 5 point lead at 27-22. Berhow hit from deep again with 4:30 remaining to put the Panthers ahead 33-24. Following a Nate Heise fast break and layup in the final second, the Panthers took a 39-33 lead into halftime
The Panthers pushed their lead to 10 early in the second half and moved ahead by 18 at 61-43 with just under 10 minutes remaining in the game. A late 9-0 run by Valparaiso cut the Panther lead to 8 with under 4 minutes remaining.
Four Panthers managed to score in double digits with Noah Carter and Trae Berhow leading the scoring effort with 17 points apiece. Nate Heise added 15 points and Austin Phyfe finished with 12. Carter went 5-7 from the field and 5-5 from the charity stripe.
UNI bounced back from a Saturday loss to Valparaiso. The Panthers shot 53 percent in a 74-60 win in the McLeod Center.
That’s UNI coach Ben Jacobson who was pleased with way his team responded.
The Panthers improve to 5-10 in the Valley
Collectively the Panthers shot 52.8% (28-53) from the field and 47.1% (8-17) from beyond the arc. The Panthers hauled in 30 rebounds with Noah Carter hauling in a team high 9. Bowen Born finished with 5 assists and 5 steals, setting season highs in both categories.
UNI will be back in action on Wednesday, February 17 when they host the Bulldogs of Drake in the McLeod Center.
