The Upper Iowa men's basketball team traded punches with the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs on Saturday night, but it was the Peacocks who had the knockout punch to rally past the home team. UIU scored 11 of the final 15 points to pull out a hard-fought 85-78 victory to split the NSIC weekend. With the win, Upper Iowa improves to 12-6 overall and 9-3 in the Northern Sun Conference, while UMD drops to 4-13 overall and 3-8 in league play.
 
These two teams have made a habit of close game over the years; each of the previous five matchups (all UIU wins) have been separated by a grand total of 14 points. Saturday night at Romano Gymnasium in Duluth, Minn. was no different. The game was tied for nearly a fourth of the time (7:20). Each team gained the lead five times, but it was Upper Iowa who gained it late and held on.
 
With the game tied at 74 with 3:35 remaining, it was the Bulldogs who struck first. Cody Tomlinson hit a free throw to put the home team up one, and then the Peacocks turned to redshirt senior Jordan Hay. Hay connected on an old-fashioned three-point play after getting fouled in the paint to give Upper Iowa the lead. Dennis Austin III connected on a pair of free throws and Hay hit another inside shot to give UIU what seemed to be a comfortable six-point advantage. However, UMD came right back. Tomlinon connected on a three-pointer to get the home team within three, 81-78, with 1:29 to go.
 
Upper Iowa went right back to their veteran forward. Hay connected on a jumper to put UIU up five points, and the knockout punch was thrown. On the ensuing possession, Hay blocked a potential layup to put the exclamation point on the game, and help preserve what would turn into a seven-point win. Carson Parker connected on a pair of free throws, and Upper Iowa pulled out the 85-78 victory.
 
The first half was as even as possible. UIU led 40-36 at the intermission after converting 14-29 from the field, and 4-12 from behind the arc. The Bulldogs hit 14-32 for the half, and the game was up for grabs going into the second stanza. However, the Peacock offense got hot in the second half, only missing nine shots in the final 20 minutes (15-24, 63%). Upper Iowa was also efficient at the free throw line, converting on 11-13 from the line in the second half to help win the game.
 
Senior Jimmy Roth led the way in scoring with 18 points on 5-8 shooting including a pair of trifectas. The Marion, Iowa product also connected on 6-9 from the charity stripe to lead the way. Parker totaled 13 points on 5-7 from the field. Hay and Austin III each tallied 13 points and a game-high 7 rebounds, while Josh Weeber added 10 points off the bench. Five different Peacocks finished in double-figures yet again in a win, making it five straight wins with such production.
 
The Peacocks shot 53% (29-53) on the night, and outrebounded the Bulldogs 36-24 for the game. Turnovers were a non-factor, as UIU only forced 6 mistakes and only turned it over 10 times. Upper Iowa found a way to pull away late thanks to hot shooting and timely defense.
 
Upper Iowa, after splitting each of the last two road conference weekends, will head back home for four straight games in Dorman Gymnasium. The Peacocks will host the Augustana Vikings next Friday, Jan. 20 in Fayette at 8 p.m. before squaring off with the Wayne State Wildcats on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 6 p.m. Both games will be available in eastern Iowa, with Friday night's game airing on KCRG TV 9.3, and Saturday's night on 9.2.