CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Leon Bond III posted a career night on Monday with 37 points as the UNI men’s basketball team cruised to its fourth straight win in a 104-76 rout of the Montana Grizzlies inside the McLeod Center in the Panthers’ final home game of the non-conference schedule.

UNI shot a season-high 69% from the field and 57.9% from three-point range, roaring past its Big Sky Conference challenger for a third straight win by 20+ points. Northern Iowa also recorded its second game of the season scoring 100+ points, marking the first time since February of 1990 that the Panthers have done so multiple times in a single season.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Montana jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead before Jacob Hutson and Bond helped jump start an efficient first half on offense for the Panthers. UNI shot 70.4% from the floor, including 53.6% from three-point range in the first 20 minutes. Northern Iowa used a 9-0 scoring run out of the game’s first media timeout, which featured a logo-range three-point shot from Max Weisbrod to take a 15-11 lead. Bond caught fire as the first half progressed, shooting six-of-eight with three made baskets from three-point range for 17 points in the opening stanza, with Hutson adding 13 points and Anderson posting eight first half points as the Panthers took a 48-34 lead into the halftime break.

UNI kept up the offensive momentum in the second half, shooting 67.7% from the field as Bond continued to dominate the game at the basket, from mid-range and three-point distance with 20 points in the period. The Panthers maintained a healthy double-digit lead throughout the final frame, as Hutson added 11 points to his total. Weisbrod notched six points on a pair of three-point baskets in the second half, whileTrey Campbell, Will Hornseth and Tytan Anderson all helped pace the UNI offense across the finish line in an impressive 28-point victory.

Bond’s career-high 37 points saw a career-high 12 field goals made on Monday night, as well as career-bests for three-pointers made (4) and made free throws (9). Hutson notched his third consecutive game with 20 or more points, notching a season-high 24 points with four assists. Anderson posted 13 points in the win with four rebounds, while Campbell finished with ten points and four assists. Weisbrod tallied nine points on three made three-point baskets, with Hornseth finishing with five points.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• UNI improves to 3-2 in the all-time series against Montana. Monday marked the first meeting between the two programs since the 2002-03 season.
• Northern Iowa has won three consecutive games by 20+ for the first time since the 2017-18 season when it beat Alcorn State, Wartburg and Chicago State by that margin early in the season.
• Leon Bond III’s 37 points were the most by a Panther player since Bowen Born posted 31 points at Toledo last season, and the third-most points scored in a game in team history. Bond’s 37 points are also the most scored by a Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) player this season.
• Bond was also one point shy of tying Jeremy Morgan’s 2016 single-game school record for points scored in a home game (38 vs. North Dakota), as well as three points from tying Cam Johnson’s 1993-94 program record for single-game scoring (40). 
• UNI improves to 91-12 (.883) under head coach Ben Jacobson when scoring 80+ points in a game. Six of the Panthers’ seven wins this season have come with 80 or more points from the Northern Iowa offense.
• Monday marked the 43rd game in program history UNI scored 100 or more points, and the first time doing so multiple times in the same season since the 1989-90 campaign (Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston State).
• UNI turned the ball over only seven times on Monday, extending its streak to four games with ten or fewer turnovers. The Panthers’ previous streak of four or more games with ten turnovers or less came late in the 2021-22 season.

UP NEXT

Northern Iowa returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 21 in its final non-conference matchup of the year, taking on Washington State at the Holiday Hoops Classic in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT at The Orleans Arena, with live coverage available on FloHoops with a subscription, as well as the Panther Sports Radio Network.

UNI men’s basketball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Men’s Basketball), X (@UNImbb) and on Instagram (@uni_basketball). The full 2024 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.