Panthers Split Series With Bradley

UNI appeared to have forced overtime in its series finale against Bradley, but the Panthers' last-second shot was waved off after video review.

Instead of playing another five minutes of what had been back-and-forth basketball Monday night, UNI was walking off the court with Bradley celebrating a 75-73 victory at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls.

A malfunctioning clock added to the drama of a wild finish.

With UNI trailing 75-72, Bradley intentionally fouled UNI freshman guard Bowen Born with 3.4 seconds remaining. Born made the first free throw attempt, but purposely missing the second try. He grabbed the rebound and missed a 3-pointer, which teammate Trae Berhow tipped-in to tie the game at 75-all with 1.8 seconds left.

There was a problem, however. After Born's intentional miss at the line, the ball hit a UNI player before Born grabbed the rebound. The clock should have started when the ball was touched, but it didn't.

Officials took about five minutes to twice look-at the video monitor and discuss the closing sequence of plays. Eventually, they ruled that Berhow's tip-in didn't count. The referees determined he made the shot after the buzzer would have sounded.

Berhow ended the night with 15 points and Born scored a career-high 17 to lead the Panthers.

The game was tight from the opening tip. The Missouri Valley Conference battle featured 13 ties and 14 lead changes, 12 of which occurred in the first half. At halftime, the score was deadlocked at 33-33.

Bradley's victory prevented UNI from sweeping the two-game series. The Panthers defeated the Braves 78-72 on Sunday afternoon behind an 18-point performance from Austin Phyfe.

Sunday's game opener was as competitive as Monday's was. The series' opener featured 16 lead changes and was also tied at intermission.