Vis scores career-high 18 points in season opener.

UNI Athletic Communications

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The UNI men’s basketball team kicked off the Kyle Green era in style, roaring in the second half to a 106-70 win over Division III Cornell College on Tuesday night in the Panthers’ 2026-27 regular season opener inside the McLeod Center.

With all 14 Panthers appearing on the floor and 13 scoring, five Panthers scored in double figures as Northern Iowa shot 47.3% from the field, including 57.9% in the second stanza, while also dominating the paint and capitalizing with 32 points off 29 Ram turnovers.

HOW IT HAPPENED
UNI maintained a healthy lead for the majority of the first half, shooting 36.1% from the field. Despite early three-point shooting challenges, the Panthers found their rhythm with three baskets from beyond the arc in the final minutes, while Cornell gradually chipped away at the Panther lead on 40% shooting from three-point range. Carson Vis and Greyson Uelmen each scored 11 points for UNI in the opening frame as the Panthers took a 45-42 lead into halftime.

Northern Iowa’s offense kicked into high gear in the final 20 minutes as the Panther defense pressed the Rams into 17 turnovers, leading to 21 points for the purple and gold. UNI’s interior game also got a boost in the second half with 34 points in the paint as Geon Hutchins and Vis attacked inside, while the three-point game continued to improve with Tate McCubbin draining a pair of triples, with Jalen Wilson and Jaydon Kimbrough also knocking down long range shots.

Vis finished the night with a career-high 18 points of seven-of-nine shooting, while Uelmen scored 17 points going eight-for-eight at the free throw line, along with a team-high seven rebounds, four assists and three steals. Isaiah Johnson-Arigu scored 12 points in the win, with Hutchins tallying 11 points and four boards and McCubbin ten points and six rebounds. Will Gerdes posted nine points for the Panthers, as Levi Valdo and Jalen Wilson both scored six points each.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• UNI improves to 15-22 all-time against Cornell with its fourth straight meeting in the series. Tuesday marked the Panthers’ third straight regular season opening win, and their 24th win in a regular season opener in the last 26 season.
• Head coach Kyle Green earned his first win as a Division I coach in Tuesday’s victory, as well as his 49th as a college head coach after previous stints leading programs at Western Colorado, Lewis and Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
• Green is the ninth Panther men’s basketball coach to win in his debut as head coach in team history, joining Ben Jacobson (2006), Zeke Hogland (1967), Norm Stewart (1961), Stanley Hall (1954), Arthur Dickinson (1924), Ivan Doseoff (1919), J.O. Perrine (1917) and H.F. Pasini (1911).
• Northern Iowa recorded its 44th game in team history scoring 100+ points. The Panthers are 43-1 all-time when scoring 100+ points.
• UNI’s 106 points are the most scored in a season opener since 1967-68 against Culver-Stockton (111).
• Five Panthers made their collegiate debuts in Tuesday’s game (Jules Isebaert, Will Gerdes, Levi Valdo, Jalen Wilson, Jaydon Kimbrough), while six others made their UNI debuts after previously playing Division I basketball (Ian Smikle, Greyson Uelmen, Tate McCubbin, Carson Vis, Isaiah Johnson-Arigu).

UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action on Saturday, Nov. 7 when they visit Furman. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT at Timmons Arena in South Carolina, with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network.