Game 10: #6 UNI 84, #5 UIC 69
Sunday, March 8, 2026
Session 5 Attendance: 6,750
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM:
Trey Campbell, UNI (Doug Elgin Award - Most Outstanding Player)
Leon Bond III, UNI…Elijah Crawford, UIC…Rashund Washington Jr., UIC…Jalen Quinn, Drake
MVC Tournament Notes — UNI won its sixth MVC Tournament championship and will make its ninth trip to the NCAA Tournament (1990, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016) and first since 2016. This marked the first time a school has won four games in the MVC Tournament and the first time the No. 6 seed won the MVC Tournament championship. UNI’s six MVC Tournament titles rank second, trailing only the 12 tournament titles that Creighton won.
MVC Tournament Title Game Only Records:
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Most points, first half only: 48, UNI
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Highest field goal percentage, first half only: .679 UNI (19-28)
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3-point field goals made, first half only: 7, UNI tied record
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UNI’s 12 three-point baskets equaled MVC title game record shared by Creighton (2005) & Illinois State (2012)
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UIC’s Elijah Crawford’s 29 field goal attempts is most in an MVC title game
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UNI’s 63.3 percent field goal percentage & 25 assists were second highest in an MVC title game & most since 1985
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UNI’s 19 made field goals was second most in a first half in an MVC championship game.
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UNI’s Trey Campbell’s six three-point baskets were second highest in an MVC title game & most since 1989.
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UIC’s Elijah Crawford’s 13 field goals made is third-most in a title game.
Northern Iowa Notes — The Panthers, winning their fifth straight game, improved their record to 23-12 - the best mark at the school since UNI went 25-6 during the 2019-20 season...UNI moved to 33-27 in the MVC Tournament, including a 5-2 record in the championship games. Ben Jacobson improved his coaching record to 5-1 in the championship games. UNI set season highs in field goal percentage (.633) and assists (25)…UNI drilled 12 three-point baskets, marking the 11th game making 10 or more three-point baskets in a game.
Panthers Player Plaudits — Senior guard Trey Campbell scored a team-high 23 points, including a season and 2026 MVC Tournament high six three-point baskets. It marked his sixth 20-plus scoring game this season. Senior forward Ben Schwieger contributed 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting, along with four rebounds and four assists. Sophomore forward Will Hornseth registered 10 points, including 4-of-4 from the field and three rebounds. Junior guard Leon Bond III, coming off back-to-back 19-point efforts, added 10 points and four assists. Graduate forward Tristan Smith set a career high with seven assists while contributing a game-high eight rebounds and nine points.
Campbell ranks No. 3 on the school career list in steals (171), No. 4 on the school career list in three-point field goals (219) and No. 12 on school career scoring list (1,389).
UIC Notes — The Flames, who had a two-game winning streak snapped, slipped to 19-15. UIC’s MVC Tournament record is 3-4. The Flames pulled down a season-low 22 rebounds, and failed to record even a single block for the first time this season…their five steals was just one shy of their lowest mark this season.
Flames Player Plaudits — Sophomore guard Elijah Crawford scored a career-best 28 points, his fourth game reaching 20-plus points, while adding a team-best five assists, giving him 104 on the season. Junior guard Ahmad Henderson II reached double figures for the 26th time this season with his 13 points. Redshirt freshman Jayce Nathaniel reached double digits for just the seventh time, putting in 10 points. After averaging 20 ppg in his first two tournament games, freshman guard Rashund Washington Jr. scored 10 points.
First Half Recap — UNI came out firing, jumping to a 9-2 lead, while forcing a UIC timeout at the 16:41 mark after the Panthers hit four of their first six shots while the Flames started just 1-of-5. UNI’s offense continued to surge, knocking down 10 of its next 11 shots stretching the lead to 27-14, the largest margin of the half. Tristan Smith orchestrated the offense early, recording a season-high five assists in the first 8:47 and finishing the half with six. UIC answered with a 9-3 spurt to cut the deficit to 30-23 near the under-eight timeout. UNI leaned on the three-point line late, hitting five threes in the final 10 minutes. Both teams closed the half hot as UNI shot 6-of-8 and UIC 7-of-9. The Panthers recorded 15 assists on 19 field goals and set a title game record with 48 first-half points.
Second Half Recap — After a red-hot first half, both teams cooled off to start the second. UNI opened just 1-of-5 from the field while UIC went 3-of-8, allowing the Flames to slowly chip away at the deficit. UIC cut the lead to 52-49 at the 14:15 mark, the closest it had been since 4-2 early in the game. UNI responded with its biggest surge of the night, hitting back-to-back threes during an 8-0 run to build a 64-54 lead. The stretch extended to a 13-2 run after a Tristan Smith layup pushed the advantage to 69-56. UIC answered with a 9-2 burst to pull within six at 71-65, but UNI quickly regained control with six straight points during a 3:52 UIC scoring drought. The Panthers added a 13-2 run, stretching their lead to a game-high 17 points at 84–67. Trey Campbell scored 15 of his 23 points in the second half, while Elijah Crawford added 14 of his game-high 28 in the final frame.