CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – UNI built up a 21-point halftime lead and shot 48.2 percent to extend that margin to a 77-44 final in defeating the Drake University men's basketball team Saturday night at the McLeod Center.
Drake (5-11, 0-4 MVC) was plagued by 35.6 percent shooting and 16 turnovers as the offense was unable to generate any traction in the loss. Sophomore Reed Timmer (New Berlin, Wis.) led the Bulldogs with 10 points and a career-high eight rebounds while Kale Abrahamson (West Des Moines, Iowa) added seven points.
"They [UNI] did an awesome job defensively and how efficient they run offensively," said Drake head coach Ray Giacoletti. "When you play really good teams, you have to take your execution up another step. We had some things maybe come easy early in the season where people got clean looks. All of a sudden you get hit in the face when you get in the league and people scout you. We only had six assists. That's is not playing for each other and sharing the basketball."
UNI (10-7, 2-2 MVC) benefitted from Matt Bohannon's 21 points on a 5-of-9 night from the three-point arc. Four other Panthers scored in double-digits including Bennett Koch with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting. As a team, the Panthers shot 7-of-21 from three-point range and 20-of-35 inside the arc.
Bohannon scored 18 of his points in the first half on 4-of-7 shooting from the arc to give the Panthers the 41-20 lead at halftime. Eight of the Panthers' points came off turnovers as Drake surrendered possession 11 times and managed just 17 shots in the period.
The Bulldogs did not make a field goal until nearly five minutes had expired off the game clock, but managed to keep pace with the Panthers by scoring their first five points at the free-throw line until UNI used an 8-0 run to take an early lead. A 10-0 UNI run that started with 5:49 left in the period extended the Panther's lead to 22 points, 37-15, with two minutes left in the half. Timmer scored six of his points in the opening half, four of them coming at the free-throw line.
With 12:42 left in the second, UNI extended its lead to 29 points, 56-27, via a 7-0 spurt fueled by another Bohannon three-pointer. Drake would get no closer than 25 points for the remainder of the contest until UNI stretched its lead out to the 33-point final, the largest margin of victory for the Panthers in the series.
"We've got to find a way to pick ourselves up,' Giacoletti said. "They're [the team] not beaten down and from now until the Evansville game, that needs to be what we search for."
The Bulldogs return to action on Tuesday, Jan. 12, at Evansville. Tipoff at the Purple Aces' Ford Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast via The Valley On ESPN3.
