Game 3 - #6 UNI 68, #11 Evansville 59
Thursday, March 5, 2026
MVC TOURNAMENT NOTES: UNI coach Ben Jacobson tied former Creighton coach Dana Altman for the most wins in MVC Tournament history with 21. The No. 6 seed is 14-49 all-time in the MVC Tournament.
UNI NOTES – The Panthers, earning their second straight victory, improved to 20-12 - the 16th time in school history UNI has won 20-plus games including the second straight season...UNI moved to 30-27 in the MVC Tournament, including a 6-7 record in first-round games and a 5-0 record against Evansville. They will face No. 3 seed Illinois State in the MVC Tournament quarterfinal at 8:30 p.m. Friday.
Panthers Player Plaudits – Senior guard Trey Campbell scored a team-high 23 points, while tying a season high with five three-point baskets. It marked his fifth 20-plus scoring game of the season and his ninth game this season with three or more 3-pointers…Campbell also set a career high with three blocked shots...Campbell moved to No. 13 on the UNI’s career scoring list with 1,241 points. He is also fourth all-time with 210 three-point baskets and tied for fourth on UNI’s career steals list with 165. Sophomore forward Will Hornseth contributed 13 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals..Graduate forward Tristan Smith collected 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds for his second double-double of the year and 28th of his career.
EVANSVILLE NOTES – The Purple Aces end their season at 7-25. Evansville fell to 10-32 in the MVC Tournament, including a 0-5 mark against UNI. The No. 11 seed is 3-4 all-time in the MVC Tournament…The Purple Aces set a season-low with just four turnovers produced by their defense…For the 10th time this season, Evansville fails to reach the 60-point plateau.
Purple Aces Player Plaudits – After going scoreless the first 12:35 of the game, senior forward AJ Casey, who had 17 points in each of the previous two meetings with UNI, enjoyed his sixth 20-plus scoring game with 23 points…He also had a team-high 10 rebounds, giving him his third double-double of the season and his career…Powered by 4-for-6 from three, senior forward Trent Hundley scored in double digits for just the fourth time this season and second in a row with his 14 points, 10 of which were in the first half…Freshman guard Lief Moeller scored 15 points, including 10 in the first half, to reach double digits for the 15th time…Sixth-year guard Alex Hemenway pulled down a career-tying best six rebounds.
First Half Recap – UNI went on 9-0 run to grab a 12-3 lead. A running jumper by Evansville’s Alex Hemenway tied the game at 29-29. After UNI’s Trey Campbell sank two free throws with 1.5 seconds left, Evansville called time out setting up a buzzer-beating three-point basket by AJ Casey to give the Purple Aces their first lead of the game at 36-35. UNI scored 10 points off Evansville turnovers, while also outscoring the Purple Aces 16-6 in points in the paint. Casey, who had 17 pts and 11 rebounds in his last game vs. UNI was held scoreless for the first 12:35 of the game before closing with 11 points in the last 7 minutes. Casey, Leif Moeller (10) and Trent Hundley (10) combined for 31 of the Purple Aces’ 36 first-half points. Trey Campbell led UNI with 11 points, hitting three treys, while Will Hornseth controlled the inside with 10 points.
Second Half Recap – UNI scored the first six points of the second half to grab a 41-36 lead it never relinquished with 18:25 following a rebound basket by Will Hornseth. After shooting 63.6 percent (7-11) from three-point range in the first half, Evansville was ice cold beyond the arc hitting 14.3 percent (2-14) in the second half. Campbell scored 12 points in the second half to fuel UNI. The Panthers limited Evansville to 28 percent shooting (7-25) in the second half