Upper Iowa scored 48 points in the second half and rallied from a 16-point deficit midway through the final 20 minutes, but couldn't quite pull off the weekend sweep at home. The Wolves of Northern State University scored an 86-81 win to improve to 17-5 overall and 13-3 in the Northern Sun. UIU fell to 13-9 overall and 10-6 in the NSIC and finished the cross-division slate with a 6-2 record against the NSIC North.
 
Augustin Reede was firing from the outside for the Wolves and was the catalyst as they built their big advantage. Reede scored 23 points thanks to 6-7 shooting from deep. Sam Masten added 16 points and recorded six assists and five rebounds; Masten scored the final eight points to push NSU to the win. Josh Dilling scored 19 points and handed out nine assists, while Jordan Belka scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds.
 
Jake Hilmer (22) and Lucas Duax (20) combined for 42 points, while Austin Hilmer (11), Nick Reid (10), Caleb Delzell (10) and Dylan Jones (6) rounded out the balanced scoring attack. Reid recorded another double-double thanks to 12 rebounds, while Lucas Duax pulled down nine boards including three on the offensive end. The double-double was Reid's seventh of the season.
 
The two teams battled back and forth for the first 17 minutes as a three-pointer from Austin Hilmer, his third of the half, cut the margin to one point, 32-31 with 3:33 to play. The Wolves closed out the first half on a 13-2 run knocking down five of their last six shots of the half including three-straight bullseyes from beyond the three-point line. Upper Iowa headed to the locker room trailing 45-33.
 
The lead grew to 16 points with 13:01 to play as Reede knocked down three trifectas in the first seven minutes. UIU still trailed by 12 points, 69-57, with just over eight minutes to play when Lucas Duax hit a jumper in the paint to begin a 19-7 run over the next five minutes that allowed the home team to tie the score at 76-all with three minutes to play. During the run, Delzell knocked down two three-pointers, while Duax scored six points and Reid added five.
 
After lighting up the scoreboard for five straight minutes and erasing the big deficit, UIU's offense missed on a couple of golden opportunities while the Wolves got a lay up from Belka and a three-pointer from Masten to return their lead to five, 81-76. Masten added two free throws and a back-breaking, three-pointer with 25 seconds to play to push NSU's lead to 86-79. Two free throws from Duax brought the Peacocks back within five, but that would be the final score for the night as NSU held on for the 86-81 win.
 
The Peacocks will remain at home next weekend for a pair of games against Wayne State College and Augustana University on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 3-4. The games will be a part of this year's Stormin' Dorman week featuring six home games and duals in Dorman over four days.