CEDAR FALLS, Ia. — A smattering of low roars arrives with every basket, providing more evidence of his midseason jolt into relevancy. Through Northern Iowa’s first 13 games this season, Luke McDonnell didn’t see the court in seven of them. He played just 22 minutes and scored seven points — total.
Things are a bit different now.
“Luke’s been a nice surprise,” UNI coach Ben Jacobson said. “There’s no question.”
With each emphatic play, an audible “Luuuukee” chant permeates through the McLeod Center. Since joining the regular rotation on Jan. 4 against Loyola, the 6-foot-9 redshirt freshman has repeatedly deliveredsolid production off the bench.