On Saturday, February 4 the UNI men’s basketball team defended their home court and emerged victorious over the Indiana State Sycamores with a final score of 65-60. Bennett Koch, Jeremy Morgan, Jordan Ashton, Klint Carlson and Juwan McCloud all recorded 10 points or more by the end of the night.

In the first half of the game, UNI was taking smart shots and drawing the foul inside as they recorded 8-10 of their free throws. They made 42.9 percent of their free throws, but only made 1-5 of their three point attempts.

The second half featured similar numbers in shooting percentage as their three point success increased to 33 percent, knocking down three of their nine shots from downtown. Making their way back to the charity stripe, UNI knocked down 13 of their 18 free throws, for a total of 21 points off drawing fouls inside.

The Panthers were just as effective on the defensive side of the ball. The teams’ six total blocks came from Koch (3) Morgan (1) and Luke McDonnell (2). McDonnell, as well as Ashton and McCloud stole the ball from Indiana State five times by the end of the night.

Indiana State had a tough time getting their offense to flow. They turned the ball over 11 times, which isn’t the best stat considering they only had six total assists. By the end of the game they were able to increase their shooting percentage from the field to 33.9 percent as well as 33.3 percent from deep.

The Panthers’ record increases to 11-12 with 70 percent of their wins at home. This is important because their next game will be take place in Cedar Falls again, as they take on Southern Illinois on Wednesday.

After they take on Southern Illinois, UNI will travel to Springfield, Mo to take on Missouri State, followed by another home game against Bradley University.