CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The UNI men’s basketball team took on the 3rd place Sycamores of Indiana State on Saturday afternoon, falling 61-57.
The Panther’s opened the game hot, knocking down early threes to lead by 9 in the opening minutes of play. The 9 point lead was the largest lead of the first half. The Sycamores clawed back, tying the game at 25-25 with 1:28 remaining in the half. With just 3 seconds on the clock Noah Carter charged down the court and shot an off balance three that connected at the buzzer, giving the Panthers a 28-25 lead into the break.
The Panthers went 11-30 from the field and 4-10 from beyond the arc. UNI out rebounded the Sycamores 23-15. UNI committed 11 turnovers, resulting in only 3 Sycamore points. Noah Carter and Austin Phyfe each finished the first half with 6 points, Phyfe also hauled in a team high 6 rebounds.
The Sycamores took their first lead of the game at 31-30 with 17:08 on the clock. The Sycamores moved ahead by 7 points (42-35) with 11:13 remaining in the game. UNI moved to within a possession but were unable to move ahead in the final minutes. The Sycamores outscored the Panthers 36-29 in the second half to secure the 3 point victory.
UNI went 21-58 (36.2%) from the field while going 7-24 (29.2%) from beyond the three point arc. UNI finished with 45 rebounds but were hindered down the stretch with 17 total turnovers.
The Panthers and Sycamores will be back in action on Sunday for the final game of the series. The game will be broadcast on the MVC TV Network with a 3 pm tip.
