NORMAL, Ill. — UNI men’s basketball defended the basket to the final horn as the Panthers defeated the Illinois State Redbirds 72-70 at Redbird Arena on Tuesday night, earning the program’s 6th consecutive victory of the Redbirds.
The Panthers improve to 15-10 overall on the season, and 11-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), while Illinois State falls to 11-16 and 4-10 in conference action.
In a first half that featured balanced shooting from both UNI and Illinois State, the Panthers were able to move the ball well along the perimeter, but struggled to finish shots. With the Redbird defense pressing throughout the game, UNI was held to just 2 assists in the first half. Noah Carter held pace for the Panthers to 43% shooting and 13 points as Illinois State took a 33-32 lead into the halftime break.
UNI’s offense found a quick spark out of the break as AJ Green and Nate Heise combined to go 4-for-4 from beyond the arc to give the Panthers a 7-point lead. The Panthers also attacked inside the paint to draw contact and earn trips to the free throw line. Illinois State took a 2-point lead on a Kendall Lewis three-point jumper with 2:05 to play, but UNI would hold the Redbirds to just one point down the stretch on an Antonio Reeves free throw, as Noah Carter and Tywhon Pickford iced the game away at the charity stripe to give the Panthers the narrow victory.
Noah Carter led the night with a game-high 23 points and 3 assists, while AJ Green notched 20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Trae Berhow posted 10 points and 6 rebounds in the UNI win, as Bowen Born scored 8 points off the bench, and Nate Heise scored 6 points.
