UNI Responds To Devastating Loss

(St. Louis, MO) – “We are often troubled, but not crushed; sometimes in doubt, but never in despair” (Paul to the Corinthians). Northern Iowa’s basketball team suffered the worst kind of loss on Sunday. UNI was seconds away from defeating, yet another top 25 team and heading to the Sweet Sixteen. Injuries, fouls and turnovers prevented that from happening, but Coach Ben Jacobson and his players stood tall after one of the most difficult kinds of defeats imaginable.

Northern Iowa led Texas A&M by 12 points with 44 seconds left in regulation. 44 seconds from their next historic run to a Sweet 16. Then the wheels came off. With Matt Bohannon on the bench with an injured left leg, the Aggies were pressing all over the floor. Bohannon is normally the ‘trigger man’ or player who inbounds the ball after a basket by the opposing team.

UNI turned the ball over four times in those final 44 seconds, while Texas A&M went on a 14 to 2 run. Unthinkable. Unimaginable. Unbearable.

The game went into overtime, where Wes Washpun fouled out. It would have been easy for UNI to fold, but instead they played A&M to a standstill for five more minutes and the game went into double-overtime.

Paul Jesperson fouled out. Bohannon tried to play on one leg. Northern Iowa was eliminated by the score of 92 to 88. The only question left, was how would Jake the Giant Killer and his three seniors handle the collapse in the obligatory postgame press conference.

As Paul told the Corinthians, they may have been troubled, and hurting, but not crushed, not in despair. This bunch of Panthers stood tall. To a man, they credited A&M with hard work. To a man, they took responsibility for what went wrong. Their emotions were raw, but there was dignity in their defeat.

Those three seniors came to the interview table with their red-eyed head coach and their own faces flush with pain and emotion. Here is Jacobson’s opening statement.

 

Bohannon was the most visibly affected by the loss, and perhaps the pain in his leg. When asked about passing a message along to his younger teammates, he said he hoped they could learn lessons that would help them succeed in the future.

 

 

Jacobson told reporters the loss to Texas A&M was the hardest of his career, largely because of the great accomplishments of his senior class. The UNI head man said the finishing run of this year’s team may have been the greatest accomplishment in Panther history.

 

 

The top two scorers in Sunday’s defeat were junior Jeremy Morgan, who set a career high in points (36) and rebounds (12) and sophomore Klint Carlson, who emerged during the Valley tournament and scored 17 points in this final game.

Well done Panthers.

Do Good