The Peacock men's basketball team took the floor against the #5 Vikings of Augustana University looking to challenge the top team in the initial NCAA Central Region Ranking.  A late run gave the Vikings a nine-point halftime lead and the home team took advantage of ten offensive rebounds in the to outscore the Peacocks 20-5 in second chance points on the way to a 98-77 win.  After the decision, the Peacocks fall to 14-16 overall and 10-11 in the NSIC, while Augustana improves to 23-2 overall and 20-1 in the conference.  The Vikings also win the NSIC regular season championship after their victory over the Peacocks.
 
The Vikings raced out to an early 14-3 lead after just four minutes and still held their big advantage past the midway point of the first half. With 8:25 showing on the clock, Augie's Daniel Jansen scored his 18^th point of the half giving the home team a 36-25 lead, but Upper Iowa fired back with a 13-3 run in just three minutes.  The big Peacock run was fueled by seven points from Dennis Austin III including five free throws for the redshirt freshman. 
 
After Augie got their lead back to four, a three-pointer from Connor Schabel, a pair of free throws from Jernell Hughes and a layup by Austin highlighted a 7-0 run that put Upper Iowa ahead by three, 45-42, with two and a half minutes to play in the half.  The home team, fueled by 8 points from Alex Richter, reclaimed their lead heading into the break thanks to a 14-2 run over the final two and a half minutes.
 
A three-pointer three minutes into the second half pulled Upper Iowa within six, 62-56, but an 11-2 run for the Vikings put the home team's lead back into double digits, 73-58.  Augustana continued to push their lead which grew to a high-mark of 24 prior to a final trifecta from the Peacocks to set the final margin at twenty-one, 98-77.
 
Five Vikings scored in double figures led by Jansen's 27 points.  Casey Schilling added 18, while Jordan Spencer (12), Adam Beyer (10) and Alex Richter (10) all reached double digits.  For the game, Augie shot 56.7% from the floor and 44.8% from the three-point line.
 
Hughes scored a team-high 18, 16 of which came in the first half, to lead UIU.  Austin netted 11 off the bench, while Lenhart also scored 11 and Carson Parker chipped in 10.  On the glass, Austin pulled down 6 rebounds and added 3 assists.
 
The Peacocks will take on the Wildcats of Wayne State College Saturday night at 6 p.m. to close out the regular season in Wayne, Neb.