UNI men’s basketball showed improvement in Battle 4 Atlantis

CEDAR FALLS — Northern Iowa men’s basketball coach Ben Jacobson spoke optimistically Monday about his team’s 1-3 southern swing last week.

Ahead of a trip to the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas over Thanksgiving, UNI lost, 74-65, at South Florida, a game Jacobson said his team didn’t play its best.

“We got better quickly,” Jacobson said of the road trip. “The way we played against South Florida, we learned a lot in that first half. Offensively, we didn’t make great decisions. Got pretty quick with our possessions.”

A loaded field awaited the Panthers in the Bahamas, beginning with 17th-ranked North Carolina, which UNI led 41-35 at halftime before being outscored by 28 points in what became a dismal second half.

Despite beginning its southern road trip with two losses, Jacobson said the four games allowed for a lot of improvement.

Much of that improvement began to show itself when UNI took on Texas Tech in its second game at the Battle 4 Atlantis and led by nine at the half. The Red Raiders fought their way back into the game, though, and guard Pop Issacs hit a layup for a 72-70 win with less than two seconds remaining.

“We had some good possessions on offense (and) had the ball in some good places, (but) didn’t get any points out of it,” Jacobson said. “Not getting some points really impacted the way we defended.”

In their final game in the Bahamas, the Panthers played their best of the young season, dominating Stanford, 73-51.

Nate Heise led UNI in scoring in all three Battle 4 Atlantis games, averaging 15.7 points. Bowen Born averaged 9.7 points in the tournament as he continued to struggle to find his shot, shooting just 32 percent from the field (11-34). Jacobson said it’s due to him battling various injuries this fall while still being atop opponents’ game plans.

“Just in terms of the rhythm of being able to practice everyday, he’s had a little bit of a different fall that way and it hasn’t been anything serious,” Jacobson said. “He’s still getting the best the other team has to offer, (too).”

The Panthers have also become almost regularly plagued by extended scoring droughts.

“I think mostly it’s our team learning about each other,” Jacobson said. “With Nate back, with Jacob (Hutson) here, with a couple of the freshmen (and) the shift in the starting lineup things changed for everybody.”

Up next for UNI is its Missouri Valley Conference opener.

The Panthers (2-4) host Belmont (4-3) Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Bruins were picked fifth in the MVC’s preseason poll and are coming off a 79-69 win against Lafayette at the Cathedral of College Basketball Classic.

Belmont is led by sophomore forward Cade Tyson’s 18 points per game. Sophomore point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie — who scored 24 last season against UNI at McLeod Center — is averaging 16.3 points.

“One of the biggest challenges playing against Belmont is their skill level, and they play fast,” Jacobson said. “You’ve got to cover so much of the floor. Multiple guys that handle the ball, pass the ball and shoot the ball. And they have five of them on the floor at the same time.”