MVC Tournament Semifinal Recap: No. 6 Northern Iowa 73, No. 2 Bradley 69

In a thrilling MVC Tournament semifinal at Arch Madness, the sixth-seeded Northern Iowa Panthers stunned the second-seeded Bradley Braves with a 73-69 victory to advance to the championship game for the first time since 2019.

The Panthers delivered one of the most efficient shooting performances in MVC Tournament history, connecting on an astounding 65.9% (29-of-44) from the field — the second-best single-game mark in tournament annals, trailing only Illinois State’s .660 (35-of-53) in the 1998 first round against Southern Illinois. UNI was particularly dominant in the first half, shooting a blistering 71.4% (20-of-28), marking the best half by any team since Indiana State hit 76.7% (23-of-30) in the second half of a 2006 first-round game against Drake. That first-half percentage ranks seventh all-time for a half in MVC Tournament play.

UNI built a commanding lead early. After Bradley briefly took a 7-6 advantage at the 16:59 mark, the Panthers responded with an 8-2 run to regain control at 14-9. They stretched it further with a 10-4 spurt, then unleashed a massive 17-2 surge over nearly six minutes — fueled by sharp shooting from RJ Taylor and Trey Campbell — to push the lead to 18 points. Bradley managed just one field goal during that stretch, and UNI never missed back-to-back shots the entire half, heading into the break with a substantial cushion.

Redshirt junior Leon Bond II led the way for UNI with 19 points — his second straight game with that total — including 13 in the first half on 6-of-7 shooting. He didn’t take his first shot of the second half until the 8:42 mark, when he drained a three-pointer, and sealed the win with three clutch free throws in the final 43 seconds.

Senior guard Trey Campbell contributed 13 points, a game-high six assists, and four steals. Senior forward Ben Schwieger added 10 points, a team-high five rebounds, and four assists. Off the bench, junior guard RJ Taylor scored a season-high 10 points on perfect 4-of-4 shooting, including a career-tying three three-pointers.

Bradley fought back fiercely in the second half. After UNI went cold early (making just one field goal in the first 4:09), the Braves trimmed the deficit to single digits at 49-40 with 15:25 remaining. They later closed within six on an 11-2 run capped by a Corey Thomas three-pointer (51-45). UNI answered with a 9-3 spurt to rebuild an 11-point lead at 64-53. Bradley responded with five straight free throws to make it 64-58, Ahmet Jonovic’s three-point play cut it to 67-62, and Montana Wheeler’s late three pulled the Braves to within 72-69. Bond’s free throws in the closing seconds preserved the victory.

UNI improves to 22-12 — their best record since the 25-6 mark in 2019-20 — and moves to 32-27 all-time in the MVC Tournament (8-5 in semifinals). Head coach Ben Jacobson is now 6-4 in semifinal games and 16-12 lifetime against Bradley, with the all-time series now tied 40-40. This marks only the second time a No. 6 seed has reached the MVC Tournament championship (also UNI in 2019, when they lost to Bradley 57-54), and the first time Nos. 5 and 6 will meet in the title game.

For Bradley (21-12), the loss snapped a two-game win streak. Sophomore Timoty van der Knaap paced the Braves with 12 points and a team-high six rebounds. Senior forward Corey Thomas matched his season high with 11 points (including two threes) and added a career-best three steals. AJ Smith scored 10, and Ahmet Jonovic chipped in eight second-half points for 10 total. Leading scorer Jaquan Johnson was limited to nine points on 3-of-11 shooting (8-of-30 in the tournament).