|
Men's Basketball
Men's Hoops Heads to EvansvilleJan. 12, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format
Game 17: UNI at Evansville Tuesday, Jan. 13 -- 7:05 pm Roberts Stadium -- Evansville, Ind. TV: None Radio: UNI Sports Network Internet: Live Audio (UNIPanthers.com)
Winners of four straight games, the University of Northern Iowa (10-6, 4-1 Missouri Valley Conference) heads to face the Evansville Purple Aces (11-4, 3-2 MVC) on Jan. 13 at 7:05 pm. This Tuesday’s game at UE starts a stretch of five of seven on the road for the Panthers.
JUMP BALLS... l UNI moved into a tie for first place in the Valley with its 78-64 win over Missouri State Jan. 10. In MVC games, he Panthers area shooting 51 percent from the field and 48 percent from three-point range, while scoring an average of 73.6 points per game. All three of those figures are tops in the league. l Balanced scoring continues to be a staple for UNI. The Panthers have four of five starters averaging in double figures, but no player averages better than 11.4 points per game. Adam Koch leads the way at 11.4 ppg, followed by Kwadzo Ahelegbe (11.3), Jordan Eglseder (10.6), and Ali Farokhmanesh (10.5). Johnny Moran, UNI’s fifth starter, is just outside of double figures at 9.9 ppg. l UNI shot a school record 81.8 percent from the field in the first half (14-for-18) in the team’s 78-64 win over Missouri State Jan. 10. That was also the fourth-best field goal percentage for a half in Missouri Valley Conference history. The Panthers shot 70.5 percent (31-for-44) for the game, which was the second-best total in UNI history and eighth-best in Valley annals. The UNI school record for field goal percentage is 73.2 percent (30-for-41), set on March 6, 1986 in a 73-68 loss to Cleveland State. l Junior forward Adam Koch had a career-high 22 points, while adding 11 rebounds, against Missouri State Jan. 10. It was Koch’s third double-double of the season and fourth career double-double. He hit on 7-of-8 shots from the field and also added four assists. l Over its last six games, UNI is shooting 49 percent (47-for-97) on three-pointers, including having two games of making 10 or more treys. Junior Ali Farokhmanesh has led the charge over that stretch, as he has made 17-for-30 (.567) from behind the arc over the team’s last six contests, while freshman Johnny Moran is 14-for-26 (.538). Fellow guards Kerwin Dunham (5-for-7, .714) and Kwadzo Ahelegbe (5-for-8, .625) have also been hot from downtown over the team’s last six games.
SCOUTING EVANSVILLE Evansville is 11-4 overall on the season, 3-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference, and is coming off a 70-63 loss at Southern Illinois Jan. 10. The Purple Aces are a perfect 10-0 at home in Roberts Stadium this season, including MVC wins over Drake (76-65) and Missouri State (66-61 in overtime). Shy Ely leads the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring at 17.5 points per game, while Jason Holsinger averages 13.3 points per contest.
ALL-TIME SERIES WITH THE PURPLE ACES Evansville holds a 17-15 lead in the all-time series with UNI, but the Panthers have won seven straight and 11 of the last 15 games played between the two schools. Evansville’s last win was a 92-73 victory at home in the 2004-05 season. UNI has won three straight and four of the last seven games played at Roberts Stadium, but Evansville still has an 12-4 lead all-time in home games.
RADIO INFORMATION UNI’s men’s basketball games can be heard on the UNI Sports Radio Network, with KXEL 1540 AM (Waterloo, Iowa) serving as flagship station. Affiliates include KCHA (95.9 FM, Charles City), KVFD (1400 AM, Fort Dodge), KQCR (98.9 FM, Hampton), KRIB (1490 AM, Mason City), KILJ (105.5 FM, Mount Pleasant) and KQWC (1570 AM, Webster City). Long-time Panthers announcer Gary Rima handles play-by-play duties, while Kevin Boyle serves as analyst. In addition, head coach Ben Jacobson’s hour-long weekly coaches call-in show airs on KXEL at 6:00 pm each Thursday night.
MVC WEEKLY TELECONFERENCE Once again this year, the Missouri Valley Conference will hold a weekly men’s basketball teleconference for each of its 10 head coaches. The calls will be held each Tuesday after that until the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. UNI head coach Ben Jacobson is scheduled to be on at 10:51 a.m. Media members wishing to participate should call 913-981-5517. Contact Mike Kern at the Missouri Valley Conference office (314-421-0339) for a full listing of dates for the media calls.
UNI GAMEDAY ONLINE Most of UNI’s home regular-season men’s basketball games can be viewed and listened to on the World Wide Web by going to www.unipanthers.com. UNI has partnered with Stretch Internet to provide live video and audio streaming of Panther basketball via “UNI GameDay Online.” In addition to video from most home men’s basketball contests, and audio from every home and road game, this subscription-based service also provides video and audio of a number of other UNI sports. Click on the “UNI GameDay Online” button on the front page of UNIPanthers.com to sign up.
TICKET INFORMATION Full-season and mini-plan ticket packages are available to see the Panther men’s basketball team, as well as single-game tickets. Contact UNITix at 319-273-4TIX, visit the UNITix Office, or log on to www.UNIPanthers.com. MORAN LIGHTS IT UP AGAINST CREIGHTON Panthers freshman guard Johnny Moran had a career-high 22 points in the team’s 69-66 win at Creighton Jan. 6. Moran nailed 7-of-10 shots from the field, and was 6-for-8 from three-point range, to power UNI to its first win at the Qwest Center in six tries. Moran also grabbed eight rebounds against the Bluejays.
UNI BREAKS 11-GAME LOSING STREAK AT SIU... The Panthers posted a 59-51 win at Southern Illinois Dec. 31. That was the team’s first victory at SIU Arena since the 1996-97 season, when UNI posted a 92-81 win over the Salukis under head coach Eldon Miller. The Panthers’ road victory on New Year’s Eve is something SIU is not accustomed to in recent years, as it was just Southern Illinois’ third Missouri Valley Conference home loss since the start of the 2001-02 campaign.
...AND A 12-GAME SKID AT CU A WEEK LATER UNI’s 69-66 win at Creighton snapped a 12-game losing streak in Omaha. Before the win earlier this week, the last time UNI won at CU was in the 1995-96 season, posting a 58-57 overtime win at the Omaha Civic Auditorium that year. The win Jan. 6 also broke a nine-game overall losing streak to the Bluejays. Prior to that victory, the Panthers’ last win over CU was an 82-73 triumph on Jan. 14, 2004 in the UNI-Dome.
A RARE FEAT With the wins at Southern Illinois Dec. 31, and Creighton Jan. 6, UNI became just the second Missouri Valley Conference team since the start of the 2001-02 season to win at both venues in the same year. Last year, Illinois State also posted wins at SIU Arena and the Qwest Center.
DUNHAM LIKES SIU ARENA Sophomore guard Kerwin Dunham had a season-high 11 points at Southern Illinois Dec. 31. Dunham hit all three three-point attempts versus the Salukis, including draining a three from the right wing with 1:46 left that gave the Panthers a 55-47 lead and sealed the game. Dunham has had great success in his two games at SIU Arena, as he scored a career-high 13 points there as a redshirt freshman on Feb. 20, 2008.
SEASON-BEST 11 TREYS AGAINST WSU UNI connected on a season-best 11 three pointers against Wichita State Jan. 3, shooting a season-best 58 percent (11-for-19). The Panthers hit on 8-of-11 from behind the arc after halftime, led by junior Ali Farokhmanesh, who made five treys in the game and four in the second half.
BENCH PLAY SOLID It hasn’t just been the Panthers’ starters that have done the job for UNI this season, as it has also gotten impressive play from its bench, especially in its last six games. UNI’s reserves -- Travis Brown, Kerwin Dunham, Lucas O’Rear, Brian Haak and Adam Rodenberg -- are averaging 16.8 points and 12.0 rebounds per game over that span, while shooting 48 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range.
GO, GO, KWADZO Sophomore point guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe scored a career-high 28 points, nearly leading UNI from a 21-point first half deficit to the win, in the team’s 85-84 double-overtime loss to Indiana State on Dec. 28. Ahelegbe connected on 11-of-19 shots from the floor against the Sycamores, and was 2-of-3 from three-point range, while also grabbing three rebounds and dishing out three assists. The 28 points was also the most ever scored by a UNI player in the three-year history of the McLeod Center. Ahelegbe’s previous career-high was 18 points against Iowa State in an overtime loss Dec. 3.
BIG WIN OVER WSU The Panthers’ 78-54 win over Wichita State Jan. 3 was their largest margin of victory ever over the Shockers, spanning 37 games. It was also UNI’s largest winning margin of the 2008-09 season.
HOT AGAINST THE JACKS UNI posted a 57.1 percent field goal shooting mark against South Dakota State Dec. 21. The Panthers connected on 28-of-49 shots from the floor, with the 28 field goals made a season-best up to that point. UNI made an even more impressive 63 percent (15-for-24) from the field in the first half, as it raced to a 40-19 halftime lead. The Panthers were also hot from the three-point line versus the Jackrabbits, as they shot a season-high 55 percent (6-for-11). Ali Farokhmanesh was 2-for-2, Kerwin Dunham was 1-for-1 and Johnny Moran was 2-for-3 from behind the arc.
GOING THE DISTANCE The Panthers 85-84 double-overtime loss to Indiana State Dec. 28 was the first double-overtime game in the three-year history of the McLeod Center. Prior to that, the last time UNI played in a double-overtime game was on Feb. 18, 2006, in a 65-61 double OT win over 24th-ranked Bucknell at the UNI-Dome. That game was played before a national television audience on ESPN2 as part of ESPNU BracketBusters Saturday.
IRON MEN Two players saw career-high minute totals in UNI’s double-overtime game with Indiana State Dec. 28. Sophomore guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe played 46 of 50 possible minutes against the Sycamores, while freshman guard Johnny Moran played 41 minutes.
BIG RALLY FALLS SHORT AGAINST ISU After falling behind by as many as 21 points in the first half (39-18), and trailing by 17 points at halftime (41-24), UNI fought back to force overtime against Indiana State Dec. 28. Travis Brown hit a three-pointer from the top of the key with one second left to force the extra session tied at 65. Kwadzo Ahelegbe then made a layup with less than 20 seconds left in the first overtime to tie the score once again at 73 and force the second extra period, before UNI eventually fell, 85-84 in double OT.
RODY SHOW Junior forward Adam Rodenberg has made his presence felt since becoming eligible prior to the South Dakota State game Dec. 21. The 6-6 Rodenberg, a transfer from UC Irvine, had three points and five boards in his debut against SDSU, and had six points and six rebounds in 15 minutes versus Wichita State Jan. 3. He will have one more year to play for the Panthers.
SEASON-HIGH SCORING AGAINST INDIANA STATE UNI scored a season-high 84 points against Indiana State Dec. 28 in its double-overtime loss to the Sycamores. The Panthers’ offense has scored more than 80 points twice this year, and recorded 74 or more points in six games this year. By contrast, UNI scored 74 points or better in just four games the entire 2007-08 season.
BIG JORDAN DOMINATES COWBOYS Jordan Eglseder’s 31-point effort against Wyoming Dec. 13 was not only a career-high for the 7-1 junior center, but it was also the most points scored by a UNI player since Feb. 9, 2005. Former Panthers’ star guard Ben Jacobson (no relation to the team’s current head coach) had 31 points that night, in an 83-82 loss at Creighton. Eglseder also had 11 rebounds against the Cowboys, for his third double-double of the season. HE SHOOTS, HE SCORES Eglseder leads the team and ranks second in the Missouri Valley Conference in field goal percentage. He has connected on 60.2 percent of his attempts this season (74-for-123). Former UNI center Jason Sims holds the school’s single-season record for field goal percentage, as he made 64.4 percent (121-188) of his shots in the 1994-95 campaign.
AHELEGBE OUTSTANDING VERSUS ISU, UND Point guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe had the best two-game stretch of his UNI career the week of Dec. 1, averaging 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists over two games. Against Iowa State Dec. 3, he scored a career-high 18 points, while tying his career-best with six rebounds. He also had four assists and no turnovers in 38 minutes of playing time. Three days later against North Dakota, Ahelegbe again led UNI in scoring, this time with 17 points, making 6-of-8 shots from the floor and a career-high three treys.
O’REAR MAKES IMPACT IN DEBUT Sophomore forward Lucas O’Rear played in his first game of the season against Chicago State Nov. 25. He nearly posted his first career double-double, scoring nine points and grabbing 10 rebounds versus the Cougars. O’Rear, who shot just 50 percent from the foul line last season as a freshman, also made 7-of-8 free throws.
DOUBLE TROUBLE Junior forward Adam Koch has had a total of three double-doubles this season, and four for his career. Most recently, he had a career-best 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against Missouri State Jan. 10. On Dec. 3 against Iowa State, Koch had 18 points and grabbed a season-best 12 rebounds, and he also posted a double-double against Chicago State on Nov. 25 with 17 points and 11 boards. His fourth double-double came last year against Illinois State with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
DISHING IT OUT The Panthers’ three primary ball-handlers, Kwadzo Ahelegbe, Johnny Moran and Ali Farokhmanesh, have combined for 112 assists this season. Ahelegbe ranks seventh in the Valley in assists, averaging 3.5 per game, while Moran is just outside the top 15 with a 2.1 assists average, and Farokhmanesh averages 1.9 apg. Last year, UNI’s leading assist man (Jared Josten) averaged 2.0 assists per game.
ALI FOR THREE Junior shooting guard Ali Farokhmanesh scored a career-high 20 points versus UIC 11/19. He hit on 6-of-14 three-pointers versus the Flames, which was just short of school records in both categories. Cam Johnson holds the UNI records for three-pointer makes (8) and attempts (16), both set in the 1993-94 season, against Drake and Southern Illinois, respectively. He tied his career-best with 20 points against Indiana State Dec. 28, hitting 4-of-6 on threes.
BALL CONTROL UNI had just three turnovers against Iowa State on Dec. 3, which was just one more than the school-record for fewest turnovers in a game. Versus the Cyclones, UNI also went the entire 40 minute regulation period with just one turnover, including none in the second half. The only time UNI has had fewer turnovers in a game was against Dayton on Dec. 23, 2005, when it had two.
CLEANING THE GLASS The Panthers dominated on the glass versus Chicago State in their win Nov. 25. UNI grabbed a season-best 47 rebounds (including 12 offensive) to just 24 by CSU. Adam Koch and Lucas O’Rear led the way with 11 and 10 rebounds, respectively. The Panthers also recorded a commanding 40-24 rebounding edge against North Dakota Dec. 6. CLUTCH KERWIN Kerwin Dunham had a then season-high eight points and a career-best four rebounds versus Iowa State Dec. 3. Dunham also made his first three-pointer of the season against the Cyclones, nailing a trey from the left corner with five seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 62 and force overtime.
BROWN DELIVERS AGAINST CSU Guard Travis Brown -- the lone active senior on UNI’s roster -- had a season-best 14 points versus Chicago State. He hit on 4-of-8 field goals (including a pair of three-pointers), and was a perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line. Brown did all his work in just 18 minutes off the bench.
STRONG DEBUT FOR MORAN True freshman point guard Johnny Moran had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds in his college debut against Denver 11/15. That was the first double-double by a UNI player in his first game as a Panther since junior college transfer Brad Hill scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against Missouri Western on 11/27/89.
STOPPING THE SIOUX The Panthers held North Dakota to just 37 percent shooting Dec. 6, the lowest total by an opponent this season. The Fighting Sioux connected on just 18-of-49 shots from the floor in UNI’s 69-49 win, including making just 7-of-24 (29 percent) on three-pointers.
MORAN STEPS UP AGAINST THE TIGERS Guard Johnny Moran had a then career-best 21 points, while adding five rebounds, two assists and two steals, against Texas Southern Nov. 23. Moran connected on 7-of-11 shots from the field and 6-of-8 from three-point range, while also hitting all four of his free throws.
TAKING WHAT THEY GIVE YOU UNI is shooting an impressive .747 from the free throw line as a team this season which ranks third in the MVC and is 14th in the nation. Nine of the 11 players that have attempted foul shots for the Panthers are shooting better than 70 percent from the line, with six of them shooting 75 percent or better.
DOUBLE TIME Center Jordan Eglseder has had three double-doubles this season, and six for his career. He had his first of the year against Illinois-Chicago Nov. 19, with a then career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds. He also had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Auburn Nov. 29, and then had the best game of his career when he tallied a career-best 31 points and grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds at Wyoming Dec. 13. Eglseder leads the MVC in field goal percentage, having made an impressive 60.2 percent of his shots.
INSIDE PRESENCE The Panthers two inside players, Jordan Eglseder and Adam Koch, made their presence felt in the team’s season-opener against Denver Nov. 15, particularly in the second half. The pair scored 22 of their 28 combined points after intermission, as UNI rallied from a one-point halftime deficit to win by five. In the game, Eglseder and Koch were a combined 11-for-12 from the field and 6-for-8 at the free throw line.
ANOTHER SEASON-OPENING WIN With its 61-56 victory over Denver Nov. 15, UNI has now won its last five season-openers, and also won its last eight home-opening contests. The last time the Panthers dropped a home opener was in the 2000-01 season, when Iowa State posted a 69-55 win over UNI in the UNI-Dome.
NEW GUARDS? NO PROBLEM In the Panthers’ season-opening win over Denver Nov. 15, three of UNI’s starting guards were not even on the active roster a year ago, but each had a big impact against the Pioneers. True freshman point guard Johnny Moran had 14 points, 10 rebounds and two assists; junior college transfer Ali Farokhmanesh had 13 points; and sophomore guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe (who missed the entire 2007-08 season with a shoulder injury) had a team-high five assists.
MONTGOMERY LEAVES TEAM Sophomore guard Jon Montgomery has left the University of Northern Iowa men’s basketball team and left school at the end of the fall semester. The 6-4 Montgomery, a native of Chicago, Ill., played in 33 games his two seasons at UNI, averaging 2.3 points and 1.2 rebounds per contest. He appeared in six games this year.
JACOBSON OFF TO BEST UNI COACHING START EVER Panthers head coach Ben Jacobson, now in his third year at the helm of the UNI program, guided his first two squads to a combined total of 36 wins. That is the most victories for a Panthers men’s basketball coach in his first two years strolling the UNI sideline.
UNI PICKED SIXTH IN MVC PRESEASON POLL The Panthers were picked sixth in the preseason Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball poll, in voting by the league’s coaches, sports information directors and media. Creighton was a near-unanimous pick to win the league with 386 points and 36 of 39 first-place votes. Southern Illinois was second with two first-place votes and 322 points, followed by Illinois State with the other top vote and 309 points. Drake was fourth with 274 points, followed by Bradley (219) and UNI (186). Rounding out the voting were Indiana State (137), Evansville (122), Wichita State (105) and Missouri State (85).
BLUE RIBBON LOVES UNI Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook picked UNI to finish second in its 2008-09 preseason Missouri Valley Conference rankings. In addition to the high pick for the team, the magazine projected the Panthers to have the top front court in the Valley, in junior center Jordan Eglseder, junior forward Adam Koch, junior forward Adam Rodenberg, and sophomore forward Lucas O’Rear.
ASSIST/TURNOVER RATIO TOPS IN MVC UNI leads the Missouri Valley Conference in assist/turnover ratio, with 216 assists and just 190 turnovers through 16 games. Point guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe leads with way for the Panthers as he ranks in the top 10 in the Valley in assist/turnover ratio (56 assists/37 turnovers), but it truly has been a balanced effort of distributing and protecting the ball this year. In fact, nine of the 12 players that have seen the floor for the Panthers this season have at least a 1:1 assist/turnover ratio.
PANTHERS SIGN TWO IN EARLY PERIOD UNI signed a pair of guards for the 2009-10 season, UNI head coach Ben Jacobson announced Nov. 12. Inking to play with the Panthers starting next fall were 6-3 guard Marc Sonnen (St. Paul, Minn./Tartan High School) and 6-1 guard Matt Morrison (Solon, Iowa/Solon High School). Sonnen has been a three-year starter for Tartan High School, earning All-Suburban Conference honors each of the last two seasons, including being named league MVP his junior campaign. He averaged 19.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game last year for the Titans, earning all-state accolades from Minnesota Breakdown and being named second-team all-metro by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. He is a McDonald’s 2009 All-America nominee and a candidate for this year’s Minnesota’s ‘Mr. Basketball’ award. Sonnen becomes the fourth Tartan player in recent seasons to join the Panther basketball program, as Erik Crawford (2003-06), Eric Coleman (2004-07) and Kwadzo Ahelegbe (2006-present) each are Tartan alums. Morrison has been a first-team all-conference selection the past two seasons for Solon High School, and was a second-team all-state selection as a junior. He averaged 16.4 points and 4.7 assists per game last season for Solon, as the Spartans finished 23-2 and placed third at the state tournament. Over the past three seasons, Morrison has helped guide Solon to a cumulative 69-7 record, with three conference titles and two trips to the state tourney. Morrison is also the starting quarterback for Solon’s football team.
SALAD DAYS The Panthers have won 111 games since the start of the 2003-04 season, marking the most successful five-plus year stretch in school history, with a cumulative record of 111-63. UNI has won at least 18 games each of the previous five years, including tying the school record for wins in 2005-06 with 23. The second-best UNI five-year victory total is 89, as UNI went 89-29 from 1960-61 through 1964-65, when UNI was a Division II school known as the State College of Iowa.
TOP HALF AGAIN UNI finished in a tie for fifth in last year’s Missouri Valley Conference standings. That marked the fifth straight season that the Panthers had posted an upper-division finish in The Valley. Prior to that streak starting in 2003-04, UNI had finished in the top five of the MVC standings just twice since joining The Valley for the 1991-92 basketball season.
|
 |
|||||
|
||||||
