Junior guard Bowen Born scored 14 of his game-high 25 points in the second half as No. 8 seed UNI held off No. 9 seed Illinois State, 75-62, in the opening round of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at the Enterprise Center Thursday.
UNI, which snapped a two-game losing streak, will play top-seeded Bradley in a 12 p.m. quarterfinal round game Friday.
It marked the 10th-straight win for the Panthers over the Redbirds and their fourth straight over Illinois State in the MVC Tournament. UNI improved its record to 14-17, while Illinois State closed out the season with an 11-21 mark.
A five-point possession by UNI with 9:53 to play in the first half ignited a 16-3 run, turning a 16-14 deficit into a 31-19 lead it never relinquished. The Panthers made seven of eight shots during the surge.
Born enjoyed his second 20-plus scoring game against Illinois State after scoring 25 at Normal on Dec. 31. Born made four three-point baskets, marking the eighth game he had made four or more treys in this season.
Born entered the game with a combined 11 points (2-13 shooting) in his previous two games.
Guard Seneca Knight led the Redbirds with 19 points, including 16 in the second half.
Knight scored 11 points to fuel a 16-2 run that cut the gap to 59-53 with 8:40 to play. A layup by Knight would later cut the deficit to 61-55 with 7:43. But UNI responded with a 10-2 run with Born hitting two three-point baskets to build the lead to 71-57 with 2:08 remaining.
UNI freshman forward Michael Duax added 19 points and matched a season high with eight field goals. UNI swingman Tytan Anderson had 16 points, while freshman guard Trey Campbell set a season high with five assists.
Duax (13) and Anderson (12) combined for 25 points UN’s 44 first half points. The Panthers shot 53.1 percent (17-32) in the first half.
Illinois State senior forward Kendall Lewis scored 18 points and added 10 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season. Junior guard Darius Burford scored in double figures for the ninth-straight game and 23rd time this season with 14 points. Burford is two points shy of 1,000 in his collegiate career – (599 Elon, 399 Illinois State).
UNI forced Illinois State into 17 turnovers, scoring 19 points off those miscues.
UNI shot 46.6 percent (27-58) from the floor, while the Redbirds hit 41.8 percent (23-55).
Press Conference Game 1 – UNIvsIllinois State
Uploaded by Missouri Valley Conference on 2023-03-02.
