The UNI men’s basketball team recorded their first win of the season as they defeated Stephen F. Austin  on Tuesday, November 17th, 70-60.

The game started off a 2-2 tie, but that would be the only time UNI wasn’t in the lead for the rest of the game. Seniors Jeremy Morgan and Matt Bohannon teamed up for a 12-2 run. The Lumberjacks retaliated with a 6-0 run to bring the score to 14-10.

Junior Aarias Austin knocked down a three to start a 9-2 run for the Panthers. Two three-pointers helped SFA to cut the lead to 23-18, but Paul Jesperson and Bohannon put up five to gain another double-digit lead. The score was brought to 37-26 when SFA made another three-pointer to end the half at 40-26 in favor of the Panthers.

The second half started with UNI increasing their lead to 47-28 with the help of sophomore Bennett Koch and Bohannon. The Lumberjacks slowly closed the gap until they came within eight points with seven minutes remaining in the game, but they could not get any closer.

The closing minutes consisted of Wes Washpun, Jesperson, and Morgan keeping SFA at bay by making nearly all  free throws to close out the victory.

The Panthers were well-balanced in scoring, as Bohannon and Jesperson had 15 points each, while Morgan and Washpun each had 14 points. The Panthers also beat out the Lumberjacks in rebounds 34-29. The Panther defense came to play as they held SFA to 35.5 percent shooting despite the great performance of Thomas Walkup, who scored half of the Lumberjacks’s points.

The Panthers will continue play at the McLeod Center, as they  take on the top-ranked University of North Carolina Tarheels on Saturday at 1 p.m. Tickets are sold out, but the game will be broadcasted live on ESPN3 and the Panther Sports Television Network.