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BOX SCORE

Sam Elgin led the Peacocks to their highest offensive output in a half of basketball this season as Upper Iowa claimed a victory in their final game this season.  A 53-point second half earned UIU an 81-74 decision over the Bulldogs of the University of Minnesota Duluth, their 10th win of the year. 

The explosion in the second half came on the back of Elgin, who scored 23 of his career-high 29 points in the second stanza.  The junior wing hit seven of his nine field goal attempts including 4 of 6 from behind the three-point line.  He was also a perfect 5 for 5 at the charity stripe.  Jake Hughes netted nine points in the final half while Joey Woods added seven.  UIU shot nearly 57% from the floor in the final twenty minutes and added 14 points in 17 tries at the free throw line.

Upper Iowa (10-16, 7-15 NSIC) played strong out of the gates claiming a 20-15 lead over the first twelve minutes of the game.  The Bulldogs caught a spark though and rallied to take a 23-20 lead thanks to an 8-0 run. 
The Peacocks tied the game twice in the final minutes of the half, but the home team scored the final three points to take a 31-28 lead into the locker room.

The two teams opened the second half  matching each other point for point and after six minutes the game was tied, 45-45.  Upper Iowa went on an 8-2 run to take a slim six-point advantage, but it was short-lived as Minnesota Duluth rallied thanks to six straight free throws to tie the game at 53-53.

The Peacocks began their separation with six and a half minutes to play.  Over the next two minutes, Upper Iowa went on a 12-0 run that was fueled by nine points from Elgin including a pair of trifectas and a three-point play.  The run gave the visitors a 67-55 lead with 4:32 on the clock.

The Bulldogs cut the lead to five, 75-70, with under a minute to play after back-to-back three-pointers, but never got any closer as the Peacocks hit their final six free throws including four by Hughes to secure the 81-74 win.