Northern Iowa extends winning streak to four with dominant 104-76 victory over Montana

CEDAR FALLS — Northern Iowa extended its men’s basketball winning streak to four as it steadily worked its way past Montana (7-5) at McLeod Center Monday night, 104-76.

Despite a brief, sluggish start for a second straight game, the Panthers (7-4, 1-0) once again found a rhythm and finished the half on a scoring run and built on their lead in the final 20 minutes.

Trailing 6-0 early, Jacob Hutson provided UNI’s initial counter, scoring 8 of his team’s first 10 points. He also combined with Leon Bond prior to the Panthers’ pushing their lead into double digits, pump-faking a 3 and driving to the hoop for a one-handed dunk. Then, on the ensuing Montana possession, Bond poked loose a steal and went on his own fastbreak for a dunk and 30-22 lead.

“(Dunks) get you excited. That starting five (of ours), we can all just get on the rim at any given moment,” Bond said. “When I get a dunk, I’m geeked and then I see anybody else get a dunk, like (Hutson), (Tytan Anderson), (Ben Schwieger) — you see those dudes (dunk) you’re like, ‘woah.’ It’s the best play in basketball if you ask me.”

Later in the first half the Panthers gained a lead they wouldn’t lose, going on a 15-4 run to end the half.

Bond — who finished with a career-high 37 points — scored eight of the run’s 15 points with two of his career-high four 3s during the outburst.

“My guys got me open. (Anderson) got me open — he was drawing the double (teams) and then kicking out,” Bond said. “Coach (Jacobson) and (Tuttle), they’ve really helped me out a lot, just putting me in positions to score and really find my way and find my stride.”

After halftime UNI steadily built on its 48-34 lead, led by Bond outdoing his 17-point first half with a 20-point second half performance.

Freshman center Will Hornseth also provided a spark, finishing with five points and two assists in 13 minutes, with one of his helpers ending in a Bond dunk.

Hutson — who was one of three other Panthers to join Bond in double figures — set a new season-high with 24 points, eclipsing his previous mark on the receiving end of an alley oop dunk assisted by Trey Campbell for a 90-64 lead with 5:18 to play.

UNI’s fourth-straight win was also its most efficient offensive performance, finishing a season-high 69-percent from the field, making 34 of its 49 attempts.

“I thought we guarded well in the first half. I feel like that really helped us,” UNI coach Ben Jacobson said. “Offensively (our) guys are playing with a lot of confidence. We’re running good stuff, we’re executing better. We’re doing a better job of putting pressure on the rim to help us get to the free throw line more.”

UNI returns to action Saturday at The Orleans Arena in Las Vegas for a neutral site, non-conference finale as part of the Holiday Hoops Classic against Washington State (9-2). Tip-off is at 3pm ( FloHoops ).