From UNI Athletics
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The UNI’s men’s basketball team defeated the Bradley Braves 78-72 behind an 18 point performance from Austin Phyfe on Sunday night. The Panthers now sit at 3-8 overall and 2-4 in the MVC.
The starting five saw two new faces with James Betz and Goanar Mar receiving their first start of the season. The Panthers got out to a hot start going 8-13 from the field and 4-6 from behind the arc in the first 10 minutes of play. They finished the first half shooting 48.4% (15-31) from the field and 50% (6-12) from behind the arc.
The Panthers and Braves saw 16 lead changes. A competitive back and forth for the entire half, it was an electric play from Nate Heise that sent the Panthers into halftime tied. The freshman recorded a steal and finished with a dunk to tie the game at 36-36 with 45 seconds remaining. Heise ended with 11 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals, 1 assist, and 1 block.
UNI’s bench finished with 32 of the teams’ 78 points. The Panthers capitalized on turnovers scoring 19 points off of seven Brave turnovers.
Austin Phyfe led the team with 18 points and 9 rebounds while Trae Berhow added 15 points and 3 assists. In his first start of the season transfer, Goanar Mar added 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 assist.
THE PANTHERS
· James Betz and Goanar Mar made their first start of the year
· UNI did not see the free-throw line in the first half
· Panthers tied the game 36-36 going into halftime
· Austin Phyfe led the team in scoring with 18 points
THE BRAVES
· Terry Nolan Jr. led the Braves scoring 17 points going 5-13 from the field and 5-9 from behind the arc
· Elijah Childs added 15 points with a team-high 9 rebounds and 1 steal
UP NEXT
The Panthers and Braves will take the floor at 7 pm on Monday night. The game will be broadcast on News/Talk 1540 KXEL with pregame coverage starting at 6:28 p.m.
