UNI men’s basketball puts up 101 points in lopsided win over Northern Illinois

CEDAR FALLS — A 22-5 game-opening scoring run put the Northern Iowa men’s basketball team in front of Northern Illinois for good Saturday evening at McLeod Center en route to a lopsided, 101-57, win.

UNI’s early scoring outburst was given life by its defense, regularly pressuring NIU’s shooters and keeping the Huskies without their first field goal until 10:16 remained in the first half.

“I think the offense probably had a little more to do with it,” UNI Coach Ben Jacobson said of the fast start. “Guys were quick to make decisions whether to shoot it, drive it (or) pass it. They were real confident, real quick to make that decision and get to the next, whatever that was.”

The Panthers quickly forced NIU out of the zone defense it began the game in.

UNI hit five 3s during its game-opening run — two apiece from Ben Schwieger and Kyle Pock and the fifth from Trey Campbell. Center Jacob Hutson added four to the run, beginning the scoring with a one-handed dunk.

“My teammates were finding me in good spots,” Hutson said. “They were being aggressive and attacking the defense which made their defense rotate and got me a lot of open shots.”

Leading 56-28 to begin the second half, UNI kept up its efficient offense, expanding its lead 73-33 with a 17-3 run in less than four minutes.

NIU’s 32-percent field-goal shooting was a season-low for a UNI opponent, as the Huskies made 18 of 56 shots from the field and six of their 30 3-point attempts.

Meanwhile, the Panthers shot better than 56 percent for a second straight game, finishing 34-of-55 from the field (62%) and 12-of-24 from 3.

UNI also created a lopsided rebounding margin, outdueling NIU on the glass, 46-22.

Hutson led all scorers with 22 points and was joined in double figures by Schwieger, Tytan Anderson and Campbell, who scored 20, 15 and 13, respectively.

“I think the work we put in everyday gives us the confidence to come out like that,” Schwieger said. “I think this is just one of those days where we executed what we talk about.”

UNI returns to action Friday at home against Nebraska-Omaha (4-7) at 7 p.m. (ESPN+).