The UNI Men’s basketball team flew down to the Sunshine State this past Thanksgiving break, swapping out the snowy and icy roads for the Florida heat and the NIT Season Tip-Off in Orlando. After enjoying some time at Disney World and creating content for their social media team, the Panthers got to work, going up against North Texas in the tournament’s semifinals on Thanksgiving day.

Going into the matchup, the Mean Green were slight favorites over the Panthers , displaying that in the first half as they pulled ahead of the Panthers, 24-12. By halftime, the Mean Green would be ahead of the Panthers by 13, heading into the locker room 34-21. The Panthers were held up by redshirt junior and sixth man Ben Schwieger, who scored 11 of the Panthers’ first-half points and kept the team in the game early. 

Unfortunately for the Panthers, the second half did not look much different than the first, as North Texas continued to hold their lead. While their shooting improved to 47.8% compared to their meager 34.6% in the first half, it was not enough to stop the high-powered North Texas offense. They would beat the Panthers by a score of 68-48.

Despite a decent first half, Schwieger would only score two more points the rest of the game, as Leon Bond III picked up the scoring late with eight points for the Panthers, as well as Jacob Hutson with five. Overall, the scoring was not much to speak of as the Panthers posted their season low in total points as nothing seemed to be going in all game.

Following the loss to North Texas, the Panthers played St. Bonaventure in a consolation matchup the next day. Despite getting an early lead, the Cats could not maintain it as the Bonnies caught up with them quickly. The Panthers posted a 52% shooting percentage in the first half, improving what they lacked against North Texas. However, it would end up being the turnovers that cost them, registering a season-high 17 in the game. The Panthers would go into the half trailing by a score of 38-32, after a 20-10 run by the Bonnies to end the half.

The run for the Bonnies continued into the second half, as they went on a 9-2 run after the break, furthering their lead on the Panthers. Once again, the Panthers battled from behind and came up short as they fell to the Bonnies 68-56.

Tytan Anderson and Kyle Pock led the scoring for the Panthers, with Anderson posting 14 and Pock with 11. Schwieger and Hutson would also contribute with seven points each, but it was ultimately not enough, with the Bonnies scoring 21 points off the Panther’s 17 total turnovers in the game.

Now back in Cedar Falls, the Panthers hit the road Wednesday night as they travel to UIC to play the Flames. As the season continues, they will work towards figuring out the two main problems contributing to their early season struggles: making shots and preventing turnovers.