The Peacock men's basketball team found themselves in yet another tight contest in the NSIC South on Friday night at Rice Auditorium in Wayne, Neb. Despite Upper Iowa leading for the majority of the game, the Wayne State Wildcats never went away, forcing a slower pace and making it tough to score all night. In the end, UIU hit timely free throws and played lock-down defense to preserve the win. With the victory, the Peacocks improve to 19-8 overall and 16-5 in the Northern Sun Conference, and remain in first place in the NSIC South division. With the loss, WSC falls to 9-18 overall and 7-14 in league play.

Carson Parker scored the team's final 11 points, including going 6-6 at the free throw line to help close out the game. Trailing 57-56 with six minutes remaining, the Peacock point guard connected on a floater in the paint to give Upper Iowa the one-point lead. After Wayne State connected on a pair of foul shots to reclaim the advantage, it was Parker who hit yet another big shot late in a game. The junior hit a three on the left wing on the ensuing possession to give UIU a 61-59 lead with 3:12 remaining. Parker then hit a pair of foul shots to stretch the lead to four, but Wayne State was not done.

After WSC's Kendall Jacks converted a three-point play to get back within one, 63-62, it was Parker who went back to the foul line for the Peacocks. The New Hartford, Iowa native hit two more free throws to push the lead back to three, 65-62, with 1:15 remaining. The home team hit two more free throws to make one last run, but Parker sunk his final foul shots to give UIU a 67-64 lead with 17 seconds left.

Wayne State had one final chance to send the game to overtime, but with 3 seconds remaining, Upper Iowa Head Coach Brooks McKowen chose to intentionally foul to put the Wildcats at the free throw line. WSC's Luke TerHark hit his first attempt, and then missed the second intentionally to give the home team one last opportunity. However, Parker pulled down the rebound and heaved the ball to the other end and time ran out, preserving the two-point win.

Josh Weeber totaled a game-high 16 points off the bench for the Peacocks, connecting on a perfect 4-4 from behind the arc and a perfect 4-4 from the foul line. Parker finished with 15, but 11 of those coming in the final six minutes. The junior also pulled down seven rebounds while adding two blocks and one steal. Jimmy Roth and Dennis Austin III each added 11 points, combining for 9-14 shooting from the field. Redshirt senior Jordan Hay only totaled 5 points while racking up 4 fouls, but pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds to be the defining force on the defensive end.

Upper Iowa shot 42% from the field (10-24) in the first half, but totaled 8 turnovers, and were only able to stretch out a six-point halftime lead, 33-27. The opening minutes were physical and slower pace, giving everyone an idea of how the entire night would go. The Wildcats could not figure out the Peacock defense, converting just 32% from the field, including 2-9 from distance in the first 20 minutes.

The Peacocks were more effective on offense in the second stanza, shooting 52% (12-23), including 3-6 from behind the arc. However, seven more turnovers and missed free throws early in the half allowed Wayne State to keep the game close all the way to the end. The home team did not miss a free throw all night, until the intentional miss at the end, going 17-18 from the stripe. UIU missed nine foul shots on the night, including six in the second half (7-13). But the Peacocks used solid defense at the end and Parker hit 6-6 from the stripe to pick up the much-needed win.

The guests held a 38-29 advantage in rebounds for the game, and despite 15 turnovers, were able to block four shots defensively to help preserve the win. The 47 field goal attempts were the third-lowest total of the season, with the others coming in a season-opening loss to #6 Northwest Missouri State (42) and a non-conference win over Grand Valley State (46).

The Peacocks will have a chance to win the NSIC South Division for the first time in school history on Saturday night when they head up to Sioux Falls, S.D. to battle the Augustana Vikings. UIU is tied with Southwest Minnesota State with 16-5 conference records, however, Upper Iowa holds the tiebreaker with a better division record (11-2) and two wins over the Mustangs this season. Tip-off at the Sioux Falls Center on Saturday is scheduled for 6 p.m. Live audio on the Peacock Sports Network can be found here.