No. 11 ranked UNI Panthers men’s basketball team notched another win as they defeated Bradley 56-39. This win ties the school record of 15 games in a row.

 The first half was tense as Bradley was able to keep up with UNI. Bradley’s defense was relentless keeping UNI to a 42 percent shooting in the half. Jeremy Morgan and Nate Buss came up big, combining for 18 points, 12 from behind the arc. UNI squeaked ahead at halftime, 27-23.

The second half took a hard turn going UNI’s way. Bradley shot 43 percent in the first half and was held to 26 percent in the second. Wes Washpun was pivotal in the second half, leading the way scoring nine points. Washpun and Buss both led the game in scoring 11 points each. 

Seth Tuttle had an    unusually quiet game as Bradley based their defense around him all afternoon. The All-Conference senior came into the game with 16 points a game and left the game with only nine points. However, he did make all four of his attempted shots.

“They had a guy chasing me. Trying to take me out of the game, I think,” Tuttle said afterwards, “They did a good job on the defensive end.”

“We did not practice with Tuttle being chased. That was a great move,” Coach Jacobson said about guarding Tuttle.

Throughout the season, the Panthers’ fourth-ranked defense has been giving their opponents fits. Their defense gives up only 53.8 points a game. This win also marks the third time that the Panthers have held their opponent less than 40 points.

“We’re helping each other. When someone gets beat, there’s someone else there rotating. Basically, our defense is playing like one unit,” Tuttle said after the game.

It was just announced that the Panthers’ rematch against Wichita State on Feb. 28 will be the feature of ESPN’s College Gameday. Until then, the Panthers will put their rank on the line when they play the Evansville Purple Aces on Feb. 25.