The Upper Iowa men's basketball team ran into one of the hottest teams in NCAA Division II when they fell to the #3 Minnesota State Moorhead Dragons, 105-85, on Saturday night in Dorman Gym. The Peacocks rallied early in the second half and had MSUM on the ropes – cutting a 15-point halftime deficit down to two, 66-64, but UIU ran out of gas late and the Dragons pulled away for the win.
The Peacocks (6-10, 2-5 NSIC) got a career-high 23 points from senior guard
Jernell Hughes. It marks the second straight home game that Hughes has scored 20-plus after he went for 20 against Wisconsin-Parkside on Dec. 15. The Imokalee, Florida native had 15 first half points on 6-of-8 shooting and provided a spark off the bench for Upper Iowa.
The Dragons (15-1, 7-0 NSIC) set a new school-record with the victory, picking up their 15th consecutive win and remained undefeated in conference play. MSUM got double figure scoring from six different players, including 23 points from preseason NSIC North Player of the Year Isaac Sevlie.
Midway through the opening half, UIU led 22-21. But over the next eight minutes, MSUM went on a 29-10 run to lead by 18 with 3 minutes left in the first half and Upper Iowa trailed by 15, 58-43, at the break.
The momentum shifted early in the second half as the Peacocks rallied with an 18-2 over a four minute stretch and was down just two, 66-64, with 13:23 left in the game. But the Dragons responded with a 22-1 run of their own, holding the UIU without a made basket for over seven minutes of game time. Both teams traded baskets over the final seven minutes, but MSUM maintained a nearly 20-point lead for the remainder of the game.
As a team, the Peacocks shot 47.6% (30-63) from the field and 44.8% (13-29) from three point range, but the Dragons were an efficient 36-of-64 (56.3%), including a red-hot 61.8% (21-34) in the first half.
Jimmy Roth (17 points) and
Josh Weeber (13) joined Hughes in double figures for UIU.
Upper Iowa will be back in Dorman Gym on Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. looking to snap a three-game skid when they host the Wolves of Northern State.
