The Peacock men's basketball team beat the buzzer on Saturday night at the R/A Facility in Marshall, Minn. to defeat the No. 19 Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs. Carson Parker connected on a three-pointer from 25 feet at the top of the key with 0.2 seconds remaining to pull of their second upset of SMSU this season. Upper Iowa trailed by eight points with 4:54 remaining in regulation, but used a big comeback to send the game to overtime. Parker connected on a three to put UIU up two points late, and then hit the game-winner to improve the Peacocks to 11-5 overall and 8-2 in the NSIC. The loss for SMSU is just their second of the season, both to Upper Iowa, as they fall to 13-2 overall and 8-2 in league play.

Trailing by three in overtime, 94-91, with 2:26 left, the Peacocks went inside. Jordan Hay connected on a hard-fought layup in the paint on the right side to get UIU within one. Both team exchanged turnovers in the ensuing possessions, and SMSU would get three shots off to try to extend the lead. Three consecutive missed shots gave Upper Iowa a chance with 40 seconds remaining. Parker brought the ball down the floor, and connected on a deep three from the right wing to give the visitors the lead 96-94 with 27 seconds to go.

Southwest Minnesota State had multiple chances to tie the game, as Mitch Weg was fouled inside. Weg missed both foul shots, but an offensive rebound by the SMSU center gave him another opportunity, and he was fouled again. This time, Weg connected on both shots to tie the game, giving UIU the ball with 7 seconds left. Parker took the inbound after a timeout, went down the floor, and drilled a three-pointer with a hand in his face to win the game. Parker finished with 16 points, and his only two field goals in overtime were the difference.

The game featured 18 lead changes and 15 ties, and was even the entire way. Luke Lenhart capped off a 9-0 run to gave Upper Iowa a five-point advantage with a jump shot at the 10-minute mark of the first period, which was the largest lead gained by either side in the first 20 minutes. UIU trailed by four points with 4:00 remaining, and the visitors rattled off eight straight points behind the strength of six free throws to pull ahead. SMSU had an answer, connecting on the final four points to tie the game, 39-39, at the halftime break. The Peacocks shot 40.7% (11-27) from the field in the first frame, and were excellent at the free throw line, converting 14-16 (87.5%) from the charity stripe. SMSU converted 50% of their shots in the first frame, but free throws hurt the home team (3-10) in the first half.

The Peacocks shot even better in the second half from the field (53.3%) and connected on 6-11 from distance. The second half was back-and-forth as well, with the game tied at 61 after a Hay layup at the 11-minute mark. Southwest Minnesota State, however, would put together a 10-2 run in a 3-minute time span to build an 8-point lead. Trailing 81-73 with 4:54 remaining, the Peacocks put together a run of their own. Mitch Eighme hit a pair of free throws and Lenhart connected on a foul shot as well to start the rally. Junior transfer Kam Rowan hit a triple from the top of the key with 3:32 left to get UIU within two, 81-79.

On the next possession, Parker showed everyone that he could be the difference-maker in the game. The junior point guard connected on a big three-pointer to give Upper Iowa a one-point lead, 82-81, to complete the 9-0 run. After a SMSU layup, Hay scored four straight points to build the UIU lead to three. The home team, however, would score four straight points themselves to take an 87-86 lead with 37 seconds left in regulation. Parker hit the game-tying free throw with 25 seconds left, and then showed off his defense in the final seconds. SMSU had a chance to win the game in regulation, but a three-pointer in the corner as time expired was blocked by Parker and the game remained tied. Parker used his heroics in overtime to give Upper Iowa the thrilling three-point upset win.

The New Hartford, Iowa native has now beaten SMSU on a buzzer-beater twice in his career. Parker connected on a three-pointer from the corner in Dorman Gym on Jan. 9, 2015 to beat the Mustangs 105-103 in overtime as well.

The unsung hero was Jordan Hay for the Peacocks. Hay finished with career-highs in points (26) and rebounds (13) to catapult the visitors.  Parker and Josh Weeber each totaled 16 points, with Weeber connecting on 4-8 from distance. Parker added 5 assists as well, and hit 5-6 foul shots. Free throws were excellent for the Peacocks, who entered the night in the bottom half of the NSIC in free throw percentage. As a team, UIU hit 26-32 from the charity stripe (81.3%). Lenhart totaled 11 points, while Rowan and Dennis Austin III each netted 10 points. Six Peacocks finished in double figures, a season-high for a single game for UIU. 

Upper Iowa bounced back well from its loss on Friday to Sioux Falls, and after shooting a season-worst 33% from the field, UIU put together a 31-62 performance on Saturday night (50%). The Peacocks turned the ball over 19 times, but forced 16 turnovers themselves and converted 20 points off SMSU mistakes. Upper Iowa finished 11-20 from behind the arc on the night as well.

The Peacocks will continue their road trip next weekend as they take their 8-2 NSIC record north to battle a pair of NSIC-north division opponents. Upper Iowa will battle the St. Cloud State Huskies in a rematch of the NSIC first-round tournament game last season up in St. Cloud, Minn. next Friday, Jan. 13 at 8 pm. UIU will then head to Duluth, Minn. on Saturday, Jan. 14 to battle the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs at 6 p.m. to close out their four-game road trip.