UNI – Still Slaying Giants

Ben Jacobson Talks About Latest Upset

(St. Louis, MO) – Northern Iowa has made a habit of slaying giants. Head coach Ben Jacobson has earned his nickname of ‘Jake the Giant Killer’ and Tuesday the Panthers knocked off another nationally ranked team. UNI traveled to Boulder and defeated No. 23/24 Colorado 79-76.

Trailing 32-25 the Panthers scored the final eight points of the half. That began a 19-0 run that pushed the giant killers into the lead.

The closing seconds of that first half sounded like this, as veteran play-by-play man Gary Rima delivered his typically excellent description.

 

 

While the Panthers were competitive early, Jacobson was unhappy with his team’s offensive execution. During those final four minutes of the first half and the opening minutes of the second, they got back to playing their style of game and found some defensive answers to the Buffalo attack.

 

 

A.J. Green and Trae Berhow tied for scoring honors. Eached scored 20 points, but the unsung hero of this upset might have been fifth year senior Justin Dahl. The 7-footer had scored a total of 23 points all season and contributed 14 on this special night. It was a career high 14 points and the Carver, Minnesota native made all seven of his field goal attempts.

Jacobson says Dahl’s special night was an example of his hard work and leadership.

 

 

The Habit of Slaying Giants

While the game was ending, Jacobson wasn’t thinking about his team’s RPI, or NET or national standings. He was simply happy for his players. Jacobson has seen former teams knock off # 1 teams, make deep runs in the NCAA Tournament and win Missouri Valley titles. This game brought him joy for his current crop of Panthers.

The veteran coach says the whole process was fun.

 

 

Jake says one key in those big game situations is for teams to be true to who they are. Too often, says Jacobson, teams try to do things outside of their personality.

 

 

Still Getting Better

While his team has sprinted to nine wins in their first ten games, the 14-year head coach thinks his team is just starting to reach its capabilities. UNI’s leading scorer is a sophomore (Green) and their best inside threat Austin Phyfe, is still getting used to playing again after sitting out last season.  Jacobson is high on his freshmen, but notes they are still learning the collegiate game.

He truly believes his current pride of Panthers has improvements to make and growing to do.

 

 

Junior Trae Berhow is on an offensive tear. The 6’5 wing averaged eight points per game in the team’s first four outings and has averaged 18.8 over the past six. Jacobson says while Berhow could always score, he has worked hard to improve the other aspects of his game. Berhow has worked hard on learning the nuances of the UNI playbook and has greatly improved on the defensive end.

 

 

Green, the team’s best player, started the season in a bad shooting slump. The team’s leading scorer was a miserable .245 from beyond the arc. During the team’s last four games he has nearly doubled that mark, making 48 % from long distance.

UNI has defeated the Southeastern Conference’s South Carolina and Conference USA power Old Dominion. They have held five opponents to 60 or fewer points and they are making an MVC-leading 9.9 three-pointers per game.

Jacobson’s long held philosophy of stingy defense and outside shooting is still successful and the the Panthers are still slaying giants.

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