The Peacocks led all but 1:37 of game time in an 81-69 win over the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs on Friday evening in Marshall, Minn. The win avenged the UIU loss to the Mustangs in Fayette on Dec. 5.
 
Upper Iowa held a decided advantage from beyond the arc, hitting 11-of-21 trifectas compared to the Mustangs, who were just 5-of-18 from 3-point range. Luke Lenhart had just a pair of 3-pointers in the first half, but he was just getting started. The junior from Storm Lake, Iowa matched his career-high with 27 points and was 7-of-8 from beyond the arc.
 
With a 22-12 run to finish the first half, UIU took a 38-28 led at the half. A Mustang layup with 9:55 left in the opening period tied the game at 16-16. A pair of Lenhart 3-pointers kick started the Peacock run, while Carson Parker had 14 points in the half, including six in the final 10 minutes.
 
Early in the second half SMSU had cut the Peacock lead to single digits, but Lenhart hit back-to-back 3-pointers to push the UIU lead back to double digits, where it would remain for the rest of the game. The Upper Iowa lead reached as high as 16 in the final four minutes, but a late Mustang push cut it to 10 before an Ethan Steinbronn layup with 23 seconds left finished the game.
 
Lenhart's 27 led UIU, while Parker added 18 points and a team-high 7 rebounds. Jimmy Roth had 10 points to be in double figures for the fourth straight game and Steinbronn chipped in 10 points. Jernell Hughes set a career-high with 8 assists.
 
Upper Iowa will look to avenge another loss from earlier in the year when they take on the Sioux Falls Cougars in Sioux Falls, S.D., tomorrow night at 6 p.m.