The Upper Iowa men's basketball team won their fifth straight Friday night game in the Northern Sun with a 68-64 decision on the road against the University of Minnesota Duluth.  The Bulldogs erased a nine-point deficit in the second half and took a three-point lead, but the Peacocks were able to recover their lead and then hold on for a four-point win.  The victory pushed UIU's record to 14-9 overall and 10-7 in the NSIC and brought them within a half game of third place in the NSIC South behind Concordia University, St. Paul.
 
The teams took some time feeling each other out over the first six minutes of the game, but Upper Iowa broke free fueled by a quick 9-0 run thanks to a trio of triples from Luke Lenhart (2) and Carson Parker.  The Bulldogs slowly crept back in tying the game at 24-24 when Brett Ervin knocked in a jumper in the paint.  Upper Iowa retook the lead and maintained a slim advantage, 32-30, heading into the break at halftime.
 
UIU got another quick five points from Lenhart and retook their nine-point lead in the opening few minutes of the second half, 42-33, but the Bulldogs weren't done yet.  Midway through the second half, UMD had not only caught up, but took a three-point lead, 51-48.  Jimmy Roth stepped up and nailed two straight three-pointers to tie the game on the two occasions.  The Peacock offense continued to roll as the team took a seven-point lead with just one minute to play.
 
Minnesota Duluth pulled within two points twice in the game's final twenty-five seconds, but Grant Lang calmly stepped to the line and knocked down both free throws to ice the win.
 
Roth, Lenhart and Josh Weeber all scored in double figures with 15, 15 and 10 points apiece, respectively.  Bo Pagel led the squad in rebounding with five.
 
Upper Iowa will face off against the St. Cloud State University Huskies on Saturday night at 6 p.m. in St. Cloud, Minn.