Upper Iowa men's basketball snagged their third win of the season in an 85-83 triumph over Southwest Minnesota State in game one of the CSP Thanksgiving Classic. The Peacocks improved to 3-2 on the season while the Mustangs, who were receiving votes in the NABC Coaches Poll as of last week, dropped to 2-2. 
 
Upper Iowa found themselves down by two points with 44 seconds left when a drive and kick allowed Caleb Delzell to put the Peacocks up by one. After his triple from the corner, UIU led 84-83 with 30 seconds left, when a missed shot from the Mustangs triggered them to foul Nick Reid and send him to the free throw line for a bonus opportunity. Reid went 1-1 from the charity stripe to put the Peacocks up by two. The Mustangs attempted a desperation shot with 1.6 seconds remaining on the clock, but were unsuccessful in their heave, sealing Upper Iowa's 85-83 victory. 
 
The Peacocks had an outstanding first half, shooting 51.4% from the floor and 53.8% from long distance. A Noah King jumper at the end of the first half extended UIU's advantage to 49-39, their first double-digit lead.
 
King had 19 points in the first 20 minutes, going 7-9 from the floor and 3-4 beyond the arc. 
 
The Mustangs strung together a 16-2 run in the second half to get ahead 70-68 and take their first lead of the game since the opening bucket of the contest. The Peacocks endured a four-minute scoring drought which was broken by a bucket at the rim by Reid with just over nine minutes remaining.  
 
Upper Iowa fought for a three-point lead to bring the score to 74-71, but Southwest Minnesota State responded with a three-point basket to tie the game back.  Jake Hilmer converted a pair of free throws, but SMSU knocked down another three-pointer from the baseline on the very next possession for the 77-76 advantage.
 
The two teams exchanged baskets back and forth until the Peacocks were able to find their edge through Delzell and Reid in the final two minutes and earn their third win of the season. 
                       
King led all scorers with 27 points on 11-18 shooting, going 3-7 from beyond the arc. Hilmer notched 17 points on 5-14 shooting while going 6-6 from the free throw line and adding nine assists. Delzell hauled in a team-high nine rebounds while contributing eight points on 4-5 shooting with 3-4 from three-point land. Freshman William Kiburis knocked down 4-5 from the field and dished out four assists. 
 
UIU found the difference maker at the free throw line as they capitalized on their strength as a unit and netted 13-14 (92.9%) at the line while the Mustangs only shot 50% (8-16) from the charity stripe. 
 
The Peacocks continued their sharp-shooting streak in the second half as they ended the game 51.7% (31-60) from the floor and 45.5% (10-22) from long distance. The Mustangs shot a similar percentage as they netted 50% from the field (31-62) and 56.5% from the arc (13-23). 

Upper Iowa goes head-to-head with Concordia, St. Paul tomorrow at 4 p.m. to wrap up the tournament in St. Paul, Minn.