Cedar Falls, Iowa — UNI basketball coach Ben Jacobson says the Panthers have shifted their focus to the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
The Panthers claimed their second Valley regular season title in three years on Saturday with a 102-96 overtime victory over Loyola.
The top seeded Panthers open Friday afternoon in St. Louis against the winner of Thursday night’s game between Illinois State and Indiana State. Jacobson says a key in the regular season was winning close games and the tournament will be no different.
A key down the stretch has been the play of Bowen Born. The Norwalk native averaged 14 and a half points and shot 60 percent from the floor during UNI’s four game winning streak after bouncing back from a hand injury in preseason practice.
Jacobson says Born has thrived in his role coming off the bench.
