Upper Iowa (8-15, 5-14 NSIC) posted a 75-63 win after outscoring Minnesota, Crookston 14-2 over a five-minute span late in the second half of tonight's NSIC match up in Fayette.  Both teams hit 25 field goals and struggled from three, but the Peacocks kept attacking and were rewarded at the free throw line.  UIU held a 21-11 advantage in makes from the charity stripe and a 16-8 advantage in assists.

Four Peacocks scored in double figures including Sam Elgin, who scored a team-high 18 points.  Tucker Wentzien, Joey Woods and Jake Hughes all joined Elgin in double digits.  Wentzien led the team's effort on the glass with 13 rebounds including 6 on the offensive side, while Hughes led the team's solid passing with 5 assists.

During the 14-2 run that decided the game late in the second half, the Peacocks forced their guests into four turnovers and only allowed a single made field goal in five tries.  On the offensive side, Upper Iowa got a spark from a steal and fastbreak dunk from Trevor Hook that brought the home crowd to their feet.  The run included scores by six different UIU players and gave the men in white a 62-48 lead with 3:52 to play.

Over the final four minutes, Upper Iowa converted 13 of their 14 free throw attempts to maintain their double-digit lead.  The Golden Eagles never got closer than 11 points as the Peacocks claimed the 75-63 win.

The big run from UIU broke up what had been a hard fought battle for the first 31 minutes.  The Peacocks opened the game with a 7-0 lead, but the Golden Eagles were able to pull even with under five minutes to play in the first half after their defense began to pick up.  An old-fashioned three-point play from Almir Krdzalic knotted the score, 23-23, with 4:49 to play before the break.  Joey Woods pulled down an offensive rebound and scored a put back to give Upper Iowa a three-point lead, 32-29, as the teams went to the locker rooms.

Both defenses controlled the opening 11 minutes of the second half as Minnesota, Crookston outscored their hosts 17-16 to cut the gap to two, 48-46, prior to the run that earned UIU the victory.