The Peacock men’s basketball team took the court this evening in the first game of the Radisson Roseville Thanksgiving Basketball Classic hosted by Concordia University in St. Paul, Minn. Upper Iowa did not convert their first field goal until nearly three-quarters of the first half had passed, but nearly rallied to claim their first victory of the season. The Peacocks fell 63-61 to the Academy of Art after coming from behind and outscoring their opponents by fifteen points over the final twenty-six and a half minutes. With the loss, UIU falls to 0-3 on the season.

 

The Peacocks missed their first 20 field goal attempts in the game and converted only three of six at the free throw line over the first fourteen minutes of the game. Luckily, the Peacock defense was keeping their opponent’s offense in low gear. Trailing 20-3, Matt Lesan hit UIU’s first field goal from behind the arc at the 6:14 mark in the contest. During the final six and a half minutes of the first half, the Peacocks outscored the Knights 16-9 to close the gap to ten points, 29-19.

 

The Academy of Art used a 10-3 run during the first three minutes of the second half to extend their lead to its largest point, 39-21. The Peacocks dug down and found their stride cutting the margin back to seven, 41-34, thanks to a 13-2 run. The UIU run was fueled by Dan Bestul, who scored eight points including a pair of three-point plays. Upper Iowa continued to inch closer and got within one, 48-47, at the five minute mark when Brad Arnold hit a layup. Six straight points by Lesan tied the game, 56-56, with 2:13 to play. After a layup, the Knights hit five of their final six free throws to maintain their lead and post the 63-61 victory.

 

UIU only hit 37% of their attempts from the field, 21% from behind the three-point line and 65% (17-26) of their looks at the charity stripe. The Knights hit on 42% of their field goal attempts, half of the three-pointers (4-8), and 69% (9-13) of their free throw chances. The Peacocks also fell to the Knights in rebounding battle 43-40. Upper Iowa only turned the ball over 12 times, while forcing 20 turnovers, but the cold shooting was too much for UIU to overcome.

 

Bestul led the Peacocks for the second straight game. The senior from Northwood, Iowa hit 7 of his 12 attempts from the field including 2 of 4 from deep and also added four boards. Lesan converted 9 of his 11 free throws to score 19 and added a pair of assists. Tucker Wentzien snared 7 rebounds including four offensive boards, while Jake Hughes had a team-high 4 assists and 3 steals.

 

Upper Iowa will return to the Gangelhoff Center tomorrow evening at 5 p.m. for another game in the Radisson Roseville Thanksgiving Basketball Classic. The Peacocks will face the Vikings of Valley City State.