A pair of 20-point performances from Jackson Joens and Chris Olson helped lift the Peacocks to their first NSIC victory of the season. Upper Iowa snapped a three-game skid and improve to 4-5 on the season following Friday's 89-73 win over Concordia-St. Paul. 

The Peacocks were in the driver's seat for most of the game, grabbing the lead early in the first half and never letting go. With Upper Iowa trailing 9-12, the Peacocks kicked off a 15-2 run to put themselves out in front. During that run, Olson and Joens both knocked down a pair of threes and Joe Smoldt adding one of his own. CSP's Isaiah McKay helped keep the Golden Bears within reach, putting up 12 points to bring the score at the half to 42-36 in Upper Iowa's favor.

The Peacocks stayed hot through the intermission and came out to score five of the first six points in the second half to push their lead to double figures. The Golden Bears answered with five unanswered points to cut the deficit to five. Upper Iowa immediately created some breathing room with a 17-4 run that was highlighted by a pair of Kyle Haber threes and a monstrous dunk from Munachiso Okonkwo. Upper Iowa was able to maintain control for the remainder of the game, finishing the night on top 89-73 and earning their first conference win of the season.

Joens and Olson combined for more than half Upper Iowa's points in the win against Concordia and marks the first time this season multiple Peacocks have eclipsed the 20-point mark in the same game. Joens led the Peacocks on offense with 24 points and shot 81.8 percent from the field while Olson added 22 points along with 5 assists. Okonkwo also reached double digits in the points column, finishing the night with 13 points along with his 8 boards.

The Peacocks finished the night shooting 50.8 percent from the floor and going 15-34 from beyond the arc. Friday's performance marks the fourth time Upper Iowa has hit 15 or more shots from deep and positions them as the NSIC's top three-point offense. On the other end of the floor, Concordia-St. Paul hit 44.8 percent of their shots but Upper Iowa was able to stifle their efforts from beyond the arc, holding them to just 20.8 percent from three-point range. 

Upper Iowa will continue their Minnesota road trip with a Saturday night matchup against Minnesota State. The Peacocks will tip off against the Mavericks at 8:00pm and can be viewed at UIUpeacocks.com/live.