The Peacock men's basketball team earned its first win of the 2016-17 season on Sunday afternoon on day two of the 25th annual Hillyard Tip-Off Classic in St. Joseph, Mo. Upper Iowa defeated the host Missouri Western State Griffons 77-68 after scoring 50 second-half points. After trailing 28-27 at halftime, the Peacocks used 65% shooting in the second frame to pull away from MWSU. With the win, UIU splits their weekend in Missouri and holds a 1-1 record on the young season. The Griffons drop to 0-2 on the season.

Defense was the focus in the first half as both teams shot under 34% from the field. The Peacocks trailed by four early on, but used a quick 9-4 burst to grab the lead. Both teams traded points back and forth throughout the half. After a Munachiso Okonkwo dunk, Upper Iowa held its largest first-half lead at 19-13 with 7:00 remaining. Luke Lenhart hit a jump shot for the Peacocks with 2:00 remaining before halftime to put UIU up by five, but back-to-back three pointers from the Griffons sparked a 6-0 run before the break to put the home team ahead. MWSU led 28-27 at halftime, with the Peacocks shooting 10-31 from the field. The hosts converted 11-33 from the field, including five triples. The offenses opened up the scoring in the second half.

Upper Iowa opened te second period with a 15-7 run to open up their largest lead at seven points, 42-35. Redshirt senior Jordan Hay scored five quick points in the early moments of the second half, and senior Jimmy Roth started heating up from behind the arc. Roth converted three of his four triples in the second half, and the Peacocks shot 65% from the field in the period. A three-point play from junior transfer Kam Rowan gave the Peacocks a double-digit lead for the first time on Sunday, with 13:03 remaining in the game. Missouri Western kept fighting back in the second half with good shooting of their own, as the hosts converted 6-18 from distance to hang in the game. The Peacock lead jumped back out to 10 when Roth converted his fourth 3-pointer of the game with 7:51 remaining. The Marion, Iowa product totaled 16 second-half points to lead UIU.

Missouri Western put together a 15-6 run in a five-minute span to get within one point, 67-66, with 2:16 left. After a Beau Baker three-pointer, the Peacocks turned to Roth and Lenhart to close out the game. The senior duo combined for a 10-0 run with a three-pointer from Lenhart, a layup from Roth, then five consecutive free throws between the two to put the game away for good. The two totaled 26 of the 50 second-half points for the Peacocks, solidifying the first win of the season.

Roth led the way with 22 points, earning his third 20-point effort in his last four games played, dating back to both NSIC Tournament games last February. The Marion, Iowa product went 4-7 from behind the arc, and 6-10 from the field. Roth also grabbed 6 rebounds and handed out 4 assists on Sunday. Lenhart totaled 15 points and 4 rebounds, while junior Carson Parker finished with 9 points and a team-high 6 assists. Hay tallied 10 points of his own inside, and totaled a team-high 9 rebounds. Okonkwo added 8 points in 12 minutes off the bench. Head coach Brooks McKowen used eight guys on Sunday, with all eight playing at least 12 minutes. Josh Weeber added 5 points in 17 minutes off the bench as well.

The Peacocks will prepare for a pair of games this week when they host the Quincy University Hawks on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. in their home opener at Dorman Gymnasium. Tuesday night's game will be available via a live stats option, a webcast option, and on KCRG TV 9.2 in eastern Iowa. On Saturday, Nov. 19, Upper Iowa will head south to Kirksville, Mo. to take on the Truman State Bulldogs at 3 p.m.