PROVO, Utah — UNI men’s basketball struggled to slow down the BYU offense on Saturday night as the Panthers fell to the Cougars at the Marriott Center in the National Invitation Tournament’s (NIT) second round.
The Panthers end the 2021-22 season with a 20-12 record, while the Cougars improve to 24-10.
UNI jumped out to a quick start with a strong performance from beyond the three-point arc, but BYU also found an early spark from distance, shooting 9-of-18 from distance in the first half. The Panthers played a fairly clean half with just 6 team fouls, but struggled to slow down the Cougars in scoring opportunities off turnovers and in the paint. UNI would cut BYU’s 8-point lead down to 5 points with under a second to play in the period, as Trae Berhow sank 3 free throws following a late foul, sending the Panthers into the locker room behind by a score of 47-42.
The Panthers cut the Cougar lead down to a single possession early in the second half, attacking the paint with Noah Carter inside. BYU continued to dominate from three-point range with a 14-7 run to open the period. UNI was held to 38.7% shooting from the field in the second half and struggled to slow down the Cougar’s speed and ability to get excellent looks down the stretch as BYU stretched the lead to as many as 21 points late.
Noah Carter finished the night with a team-high 24 points with 5 rebounds. AJ Green scored 16 points with 4 made three-point baskets, while Trae Berhow notched 13 points and a game-high 7 rebounds. Bowen Born and Tyhwon Pickford both scored 7 points for the Panthers, with Austin Phyfe posted 4 points in the paint.
