Jacobson becomes all-time winner in MVC Tournament games. UNI takes on Bradley in Arch Madness semifinal on Saturday.

ST. LOUIS (AP) Leon Bond III had 19 points in Northern Iowa’s 74-52 upset victory over Illinois State on Friday night in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

No. 6 seed Northern Iowa advances to play No. 2 seed Bradley in a Saturday semifinal. No. 5 seed UIC and No. 9 seed Drake square off in the other semifinal.

Bond shot 9 for 13, including 1 for 4 from beyond the arc for the Panthers (21-12). Trey Campbell totaled 12 points and six rebounds, while Ben Schwieger scored 11.

Chase Walker led the way for the Redbirds (20-12) with 11 points and two blocks.

Northern Iowa took the lead for good with 19:44 left in the first half. The score was 35-27 at halftime, with Campbell racking up eight points.

UNI ADDITIONAL NOTES

• UNI improves to 48-47 all-time against Illinois State and snaps a two-game skid to the Redbirds. The Panthers are now 7-6 against Illinois State at Arch Madness.
• The Panthers are now 13-13 all-time in Arch Madness quarterfinal games and 10-9 in such games under head coach Ben Jacobson. UNI’s win puts the Panthers into the tournament semifinals for the first time since 2024.
• Head coach Ben Jacobson recorded his 22nd MVC Tournament victory on Friday night, passing former Creighton coach Dana Altman for the most in the 50-year history of the tournament.
• Friday’s tournament quarterfinal round marked the first time in Arch Madness history that the one, three and four seeds were all eliminated on the same day.
• Northern Iowa is now 16-1 in games when leading at halftime.
• UNI improves to 16-3 this season when allowing 60 points or fewer.
• UNI has made at least one three-pointer in 180 consecutive games, a streak dating back to the 2020-21 season.
• Trey Campbell started his 129th career game on Friday, extending his streak to lead all active MVC players. Campbell has also started 97 consecutive contests.
• Campbell’s six rebounds on Friday made him the first player in team history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists in a career.
• Campbell also passed Nick Nurse (1986-89) for the third-most steals in program history with 166.
• Leon Bond III became the 101st player in team history to score 600 points with the Panthers.
• Ben Schwieger finished in double-digit scoring figures for the 18th time this season.

Up Next

The Panthers will take on second-seeded Bradley in the semifinals of Arch Madness tomorrow afternoon. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT at Enterprise Center with live coverage available on CBS Sports Network and the Panther Sports Radio Network (93.5 The Mix).

Fans in attendance at the tournament are encouraged to attend a pregame rally at the Crown Hall at Ballpark Village in downtown St. Louis across the street from Busch Stadium at 1 p.m. CT.