CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The UNI men’s basketball team scored the six straight points in the final one minute, 48 seconds and pulled within two points, but ultimately came up just short on its final possession on Saturday in a 59-57 senior day loss to the Southern Illinois Salukis in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) action.

After SIU stretched its lead to as many as 11 points in the final six and a half minutes, but Northern Iowa chipped away down the stretch in a defensive battle where it forced 18 Saluki turnovers before falling short on a potential game-tying layup at the buzzer.

Following the game, the Panthers honored senior players Max Weisbrod, Trey Campbell, Ismael Diouf, Tristan Smith, Chase Courbat and Hunter Jacobson, as well as managers Jaxon Hansen, Owen Denholm, Carson Winter and Eli Walton.

 

HOW IT HAPPENED

UNI’s offense initially struggled out of the gate against a stout SIU defensive unit as the Salukis jumped out to an 18-7 lead. The Panthers would respond with an 8-0 scoring run to put within a single possession before Southern Illinois responded with six straight points to take a nine-point advantage at 24-15. Northern Iowa would however find a late spark defensively and tie the game at 30-30 before a late three-pointer by the Salukis gave SIU a 33-30 lead into the halftime break. With a balanced scoring effort in the opening half, Campbell led UNI with six points in the first frame, with four points from Smith, Leon Bond III and Will Hornseth.

Max Weisbrod opened the second stanza with a game-tying three-pointer and Hornseth gave the Panthers a 37-35 lead before Southern Illinois responded with a 6-0 run, shooting 48% from the floor in the final 20 minutes. Struggling to rebound against SIU’s size and committing costly turnovers, UNI was able to slowly chip away at the Salukis’ lead, closing the game on a 13-4 run with Campbell pulling the Panthers within two points with 36 seconds to go, while Schwieger’s game-tying shot attempt came up to strong.

Campbell finished the night with a team-high 16 points as Hornseth scored 14 points in the loss. Smith tallied eight points and four steals for UNI with Weisbrod notching six points and a team-high four rebounds, and Kyle Pock, Diouf and Schwieger also scoring three points each.

“The guys did a great job of staying with it,” said head coach Ben Jacobson. “SIU is really good defensively and that’s where it starts, and at the other end they have several options of how they can hurt you on offense. Trey made some great plays down the stretch to get us into a great position and got us the momentum late. It’s a great opportunity and learning experience for us because this is going to be what we’re going to see the rest of the way. We can learn a lot from this game.

ADDITIONAL NOTES


UNI falls to 39-42 all-time against Southern Illinois in its third consecutive loss to the Salukis, its first at home to SIU since 2019.
Northern Iowa falls to 13-4 this season when allowing 60 points or fewer to its opponent, maintaining the nation’s top scoring defense. The Panthers have only given up more than 60 pts to SIU at home once since 2008, the last time coming a year ago.
The Panthers have made at least one three-pointer in 176 consecutive games, a streak dating back to the 2020-21 season.
Trey Campbell started his 125th career game on Saturday, extending his streak to lead all active MVC players. Campbell has also started 92 consecutive contests.
Campbell is also now four points from becoming the 15th player in team history to score 1,300 points as a Panther.
Will Hornseth has now scored ten or more points in ten consecutive games, the longest streak of his career. He is also 24 points from his 500th career point.
Max Weisbrod has hit multiple three-point field goals in four straight games, tied for the longest stretch of his UNI career.

 

UP NEXT

The Panthers return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 25 as they host the Illinois State Redbirds in their final home game of the 2025-26 regular season. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT at the McLeod Center with live coverage available on ESPNU and the Panther Sports Radio Network (93.5 The Mix).

Tickets for the 2025-26 men’s basketball regular season can be purchased online through the UNI Ticket Office, by calling 319-273-4849 or through email at tickets@uni.edu.

UNI men’s basketball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Men’s Basketball), X (@UNImbb) and on Instagram (@uni_basketball). Schedule and roster information, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.