After wrapping up the first academic semester of the 2015-2016 year, the UNI men’s basketball team continued to practice and compete as students returned home for winter break.

The team’s first game over break was against Iowa State in Des Moines. The Panthers (7-3 at the time) won the contest with a final score of 81-79.

Paul Jesperson made seven of the team’s 13 total three-pointers of the night. Wes Washpun led the Panthers with 28 points by shooting 9-14 from the field as well as making 8-10 free throws from the line.

After upsetting Iowa State, the team traveled to Honolulu, HI, where they went 1-2 in a three-game series. The Panthers’ lone win came from a 63-59 victory against Washington State. The Panthers scored 24 points in the paint as well as 15 points off turnovers in a game in which Washington State led for almost half the match.

The Panthers quickly returned to Cedar Falls for a home game against Bradley. The Panthers won, 80-44, with points from almost everyone as well as 20 points from the bench. Bradley’s shots would just not fall as they finished 33 percent from the field and 27 percent from deep.

Losing two in a row to Southern Illinois and Missouri State, the team’s record on the road now stands at 2-5. After the losses, UNI came back home to play Drake University and won, 77-44. Matt Bohannon led the Panthers with 21 points. Bohannon and Jeremy Morgan also led with six rebounds each. The Panthers’ record at home is now 6-1, their only loss being to Colorado State.

Now with just seven home games and six games on the road, the Panthers will rematch some familiar faces, such as Southern Illinois and Missouri State. These games, however, will be played in Cedar Falls with home court advantage for the Panthers.