Peacock men's hoops tested Northern Michigan in their first bout of the season as they fell in an 85-75 decision at the JustAgame Crossover tournament, held in Wisconsin Dells, Wis.
The Wildcats got out to an early 17-7 lead five minutes into the first half, leaving the Peacocks to claw their way back within reach. UIU brought the score within four after a pair of free throws from
Nick Reid, trailing NMU 21-17. Northern Michigan would later extend their lead back to double digits after going on a 6-0 slide with three straight buckets at the basket, but would conclude the first half only up by eight after
Jake Hilmer sank two at the charity stripe.
The lead from the yellow and green stretched out as far as 15 points after they made another 6-0 run five minutes into the second half (55-40). Hilmer recorded an and-one in the next possession to try and spark some life for the Peacocks, which was followed up by a three-point basket from Reid, bringing UIU within nine.
Northern Michigan kept just outside of Upper Iowa's grasp as the Peacocks could not come any closer than a six-point margin. UIU was down 81-75 with 44 seconds left in the game, as they were forced to send the Wildcats to the line to stop the clock and attempt to get the ball back for a couple of quick scores. NMU converted everything from the line as they went 4-4 at the charity stripe to defeat Upper Iowa in an 85-75 final.
Hilmer led all scorers as he netted 30 points on 11-24 shooting, including 8-9 from the free throw line. Reid followed with 16 points and
Caleb Delzell contributed 12. The duo of Reid and Delzell combined for 5-11 beyond the arc, while the remainder of the team went 0-10.
The Peacocks shot an impressive 18-20 from the line in this afternoon's contest.
Northern Michigan shot 50% from the field on 28-56 shooting. They were led in scoring by Dylan Kuehl with 19 and Max Weisbrod with 17.
The Peacocks face Michigan Tech tomorrow at 3 p.m. to conclude their weekend of play in the Wisconsin Dells. Next weekend the Peacocks travel to Aberdeen, S.D for the Small College Basketball Classic, where they face Northwest Missouri State and Northern State on Nov. 17-18.
