SPRINGFIELD – Over the years, no Missouri Valley team has won more games and invented unlikely ways to win games at Great Southern Bank Arena than Northern Iowa. Wednesday’s 66-61 UNI victory over Missouri State here was no exception as coach Ben Jacobson’s club used the momentum of a fortuitous call late in the game to propel his Panthers to their 13th victory in 16 tries at the facility.
Jacob Hutson and Trey Campbell scored 20 points apiece for Northern Iowa (15-9, 9-4 MVC) with Ben Schwieger adding 12 points for the visitors in their last visit to Springfield as a conference foe.
With the game tied, 59-59, and less than two-and-a-half minutes to play, MSU’s Wesley Oba gathered in a clutch defensive rebound off a Campbell miss before the Bears pushed the ball across midcourt to call a timeout and set up a play on a key offensive possession.
During the timeout, the momentum switched in an unexpected way with officials going to the monitor and using the replay to call a flagrant-one foul on Missouri State from the previous play. Instead of shooting for the lead, the Bears watched UNI get two free throws – both made by Tytan Anderson – and possession of the ball, which they converted into a four-point trip moments later on a layup by Hutson.
The Bears (8-16, 1-12 MVC) wouldn’t catch the Panthers the rest of the way. Michael Osei-Bonsu’s bucket and bump opportunity with 90 seconds to play drew the home squad within two, but his ensuing free throw missed to keep MSU trailing by two, 63-61.
Northern Iowa turned the ball over and missed a 3-pointer on its next two trips, thanks in part to solid defensive pressure from the Bears. However, an offensive rebound after Campbell’s missed three forced the Bears to foul with 17.2 seconds left, and Hutson made both charity shots to stretch the visitors’ lead back to four.
Vincent Brady II got a good look at a close-range bucket on MSU’s next possession, but didn’t get the roll. UNI snagged the rebound then tacked on an insurance free throw with 4.9 ticks remaining to account for the five-point final margin.
The Bears had four starters score in double figures, including 11 points and a game-high 8 rebounds from Jalen Hampton, 13 points apiece from Osei-Bonsu and Brady, and a dozen points from Dez White. Brady also handed out a game-high 5 assists.
Missouri State, which trailed 34-30 at the half, held Northern Iowa to 37.5 percent (9-of-24) from the field in the second half and committed just three turnovers over the last 20 minutes.
The Bears finished 23-for-51 (.451) overall from the field, 4-of-16 (.250) from long range and 11-for-17 (.647) at the foul line with 13 assists and 8 steals – four from Hampton.
To its credit, Northern Iowa capitalized on 19-of-26 (.731) free throw opportunities to keep things close when the Bears amped up the defensive intensity. The Panthers finished 21-for-51 (.412) overall from the field, 5-of-20 (.250) from distance and out-rebounded MoState, 33-29.
The game marked the eighth time since the facility opened in 2008 that UNI defeated the Bears with a margin of two possessions or less at Great Southern Bank Arena.
After splitting a two-game home stand, coach Cuonzo Martin’s squad returns to the road Saturday to square off with Belmont in Nashville (4 p.m., ESPN+). The Bears are back at Great Southern Bank Arena in a week with a Feb. 12 matchup against Evansville at 7 p.m. which features a highly-anticipated halftime performance from Red Panda.
