The Upper Iowa men's basketball team picked up its biggest win of the season, defeating the Wayne State Wildcats 89-77 on Saturday night in Wayne, Neb. With the victory, coupled with a Sioux Falls loss to Concordia, the Peacocks secured the No. 4-seed in the Northern Sun Conference South Division and earned a home game to open the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament.
 
Junior Luke Lenhart scored a career-high 30 points and pulled down a team-high six rebounds in the victory. Lenhart scored 23 of his 30 in the first half and shot 9-of-14 from the floor, 6-of-10 from beyond the arc and a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. The Peacocks held a distinct advantage from 3-point range, hitting 16 trifectas compared to just five from the home team.
 
After a slow start by both teams, Upper Iowa went on a 12-3 run to go up 27-16 with 6:41 left in the first half. Lenhart scored 10 of the 12 points over the three minute stretch, pushing the Peacocks out to their biggest lead of the half at 11 points. As the Wildcats battled back at the end of the half, it was again Lenhart who would keep UIU in front. The Storm Lake, Iowa native scored the Peacocks final seven points of the opening half to help Upper Iowa head to the locker room with a four point, 40-36, lead.
 
The second half saw three big runs, starting with an 8-2 burst out of the half by the Peacocks to go up by 10, 48-38, less than two minutes into the latter period. Wayne State responded with a 16-3 run over the next four minutes to take the lead, 54-51, for the first time since it was 6-5 early in the first half.
 
At the 9:54 mark, a pair of WSC free throws tied the game at 63-63. Over the next seven minutes, Upper Iowa outscored their hosts 19-2 and was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line. During that stretch, Wayne State went 1-for-10 from the field with four turnovers. The Peacocks knocked down 15-of-16 free throws over the final 7:24 to close out the game and secure the 12-point victory.  
 
Along with Lenhart's career-high, junior Jimmy Roth added 17 points and four rebounds, while Jernell Hughes poured in 16.
 
The Peacocks will host St. Cloud State in the opening round of the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament on Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. The winner will go to the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. and play in the quarterfinals on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 12 p.m. against the winner of MSU Moorhead and Wayne State.