Northern Iowa’s Tristan Smith (14) drives the ball to the paint against Drake on March 1, 2026, at the Knapp Center in Des Moines. (Photo: Cody Scanlan/The Register)

Alyssa Hertel | Des Moines Register

For the second time this season, UNI men’s basketball was victorious against its cross-state rival, Drake.

The Panthers traveled to Des Moines on March 1 for the regular-season finale on both teams’ schedules, and Ben Jacobson’s squad walked away with the 75-53 win at Knapp Center.

“It’s great,” said UNI head coach Ben Jacobson. “We continue to defend, continue to move and play fast and take what was available.”

UNI improved to 19-12 overall and 11-9 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Drake is 12-19 and 6-14.

Here are five numbers that tell the story of Northern Iowa’s win over Drake on Sunday.

9 … as in nine straight losses for the Bulldogs

It’s an unfamiliar feeling for Drake fans, losing this many games in a row. But the loss to UNI marked the Bulldogs’ ninth straight loss, a losing streak that Bulldog fans haven’t experienced in nearly 10 years.

During the 2016-17 season, Drake ended the year on a 10-game losing streak. Ray Giacoletti began the season as head coach, Jeff Rutter took over mid-season, and the Bulldogs exited the Missouri Valley Conference tournament with a first-round loss to Bradley.

Drake finished that season with a 7-24 overall record.

9 … as in UNI held Jalen Quinn to nine points

The Bulldogs’ leading scorer averaged 19.1 points per game ahead of Sunday’s matchup. But in Drake’s second matchup with UNI this season, Quinn couldn’t muster a double-digit point total. He finished with nine points, two rebounds, two assists and four turnovers in the loss.

Two weeks ago, he scored 20 points against the Panthers.

“(We were) maybe a little more aggressive with our ball-screen coverage,” Jacobson said about his team shut down Quinn. “And then trying to make sure we forced him into some traffic. .. .When you’ve got a guy as good as he is, if you can put some size on him to make that jump shot (more difficult) … that size and length in some of the perimeter guys is valuable for us.”

11 … as in 11 turnovers by Drake in the first half

The Bulldogs did not take care of the ball in the first half, and UNI took advantage of every extra opportunity. Drake recorded 11 turnovers in the first 20 minutes of the game, finishing with 15 for the game. And in the first half alone, the Panthers scored 18 points off turnovers.

“They had too many opportunities in transition off our turnovers,” said Drake coach Eric Henderson. “It says 36 points in the paint, but over 20 of those are off of our turnovers in a fast-break situation. … I thought our half-court defense was actually pretty good. It was just, more honestly, taking care of the basketball more than anything.”

16 … as in 16 minutes played by Wilguens Exacte Jr.

The Drake junior forward returned to the court on Sunday, and he finished the game with nine points and six rebounds.

Exacte Jr. last played on Dec. 29 against Illinois State, scoring five points and grabbing one rebound. He injured his foot during practice prior to Drake’s next game against Indiana State on Jan. 4.

Those numbers don’t jump off the page. But the Bulldogs missed the physicality – especially in the paint – that Exacte Jr. brought to the court. Against a Northern Iowa squad that had a big advantage in terms of physicality when the teams met in Cedar Falls two weeks ago, Exacte Jr. was a welcome addition to the Drake rotation.

“He was devastated — and we all were devastated — when we got the news that he’d be out for a while,” said Henderson. “I understand where we’re at; I know what our record is. … But this group has never lost their love for each other, and that’s something that Wil has been a big part of.

“We missed his physicality. We missed his athleticism, his ability to create an advantage … so there’s a lot that he brought to the table (and) it’s good to see him back.”

18 … as in UNI outscored Drake by 18 points to end the first half

For most of the first half, the Bulldogs and the Panthers hung close to each other on the scoreboard. Drake led by a few points, Northern Iowa led by a few points, and the two teams exchanged the top spot six times in the first 20 minutes of play. So how did Jacobson’s squad manage to head to the locker room with a 15-point lead at halftime?

The Panthers outscored Drake, 20-2, in the final 6:05 of the half to take a 39-24 lead. That double-digit lead proved to be the difference in the game.

“Our defense felt good from the start,” said Jacobson. “They really connected and felt like we were in the right spots. I liked our physicality, our movement. We rebounded the ball pretty well in the first half to go along with what we were doing defensively.”

PANTHERS ADDITIONAL NOTES

• UNI improves to 55-35 all-time against the Bulldogs in its first win in Des Moines since 2022. The Panthers also secured their first regular season sweep of Drake since 2020.
• Sunday’s win marked the program’s 750th victory as a Division I program. UNI has tallied 1,444 wins all-time.
• Northern Iowa ends the regular season having held 14 of its last 21 opponents at or under 30% shooting from three-point range.
• The Panthers also improve to 14-3 this season when allowing 60 points or fewer.
• The Panthers have made at least one three-pointer in 178 consecutive games, a streak dating back to the 2020-21 season.
• Trey Campbell started his 127th career game on Sunday, extending his streak to lead all active MVC players. Campbell has also started 95 consecutive contests.
• Campbell’s two steals against the Bulldogs brings his season total to 50, becoming the tenth player in program history to record a 50+ steal season and first since Jeremy Morgan did so in consecutive seasons (2016, 2017).
• Tristan Smith made his first start since UNI’s Jan. 4 road game at Evansville on Sunday.
• Will Hornseth surpassed 500 career points in Sunday’s game, becoming the 118th player in Panther history to do so and third different UNI athlete to reach the milestone this season. Hornseth has now also scored ten or more in his last 12 games.
• Max Weisbrod has hit multiple three-point field goals in six straight games, the longest stretch of his UNI career.

DRAKE TEAM NOTES
—Drake, suffering its ninth straight loss, slipped to 12-19 overall including a 6-14 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference.
—The Bulldogs’ home record fell to 6-10
—The nine-game losing skid is the longest at the school since the 2016-17 campaign when the Bulldogs lost their last 10 games of the season.
—Drake outrebounded UNI, 41-32
—The Bulldogs were held to season lows in points, field goals (18) and field goal percentage (.310).
—Drake committed 15 turnovers in the game, 11 in the first half, for its second-highest total of the season.
 
DRAKE PLAYER NOTES
—Eli Shetlar and Owen Larson led the Bulldogs in scoring each recording 15 points. Shetlar hit 5-of-12 from beyond the arc, his sixth game of the season hitting five or more treys, while Larson led the team with three assists.
—Wilguens Jr. Exacte played in his first game since Dec. 29 returning from a foot injury. In 16 minutes of action, he scored nine points and added six rebounds.
—Jalen Quinn saw a streak of 13 consecutive games scoring in double-figures snapped as he ended the day with nine points.
 —Andrew Alia led the Bulldogs in rebounding collecting eight boards in the game, six on the offensive end.
—Braden Appelhans missed the game due to a thumb injury.
 
DRAKE / UNI THE SERIES
—UNI secured the season sweep over the Bulldogs and leads the all-time series, 54-36.
—In games played from Des Moines, the Bulldogs are now 23-20 against the Panthers.

PANTHERS UP NEXT
The Panthers head to St. Louis for the 2026 State Farm MVC Men’s Basketball Tournament, commonly known as “Arch Madness.” UNI’s official seeding and first round matchup, scheduled for Thursday, March 5 at the Enterprise Center, is yet to be finalized.

BULLDOGS UP NEXT
Drake’s next game will be down in St. Louis, Missouri for the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. The Bulldogs will be the No. 9 seed and go up against the No. 8 seed Southern Illinois in the first round on Thursday, March 5. Tip-off is slated for 3:30 p.m. CT.