Peacock men's hoops traveled north to vie with Minnesota Crookston and overcame an 18-point deficit in the second half, coming out on top in a 75-65 decision to improve to 3-0 on the season. UIU outscored UMC 48-21 in the second frame.
Upper Iowa had their work cut out for them in the second half after trailing 44-27 going into the intermission. In the first session, UIU shot 25% from the field (9-36) and 7% from three (1-14), compared to UMC notching 57% from the floor and 46% beyond the arc.
The Golden Eagles rejected seven of Upper Iowa's shots in the first half, but the Peacocks compensated with 14 offensive rebounds and 13 second-chance points, keeping them within striking distance.
UIU finished the contest with 18 offensive rebounds and went 19-24 at the charity stripe, two key things that kept them in the contest.
The duo of
Nick Reid and
Caleb Delzell broke the ice in the second half, as Reid nailed one beyond the arc, and Delzell followed up with a steal on the UMC inbound and a layup. Their 5-0 jump led to what would be a 12-2 run between the two of them.
Crookston's Reid Grant broke their silence with a three-pointer, but
Kyle Hrncir sparked his own scoring retaliation as he put up the next seven points, bringing the Peacocks within four (52-48). A four-point play from
Jack Miller and a bunny from
Noah King with under ten minutes to play tied the game up for the first time since 2-2 in the opening minutes.
The Peacocks continued their strike by recording a 7-2 burst to lead 61-56. The Golden Eagles climbed back within three, 65-62, but Upper Iowa responded with a 10-3 run in the last three minutes to finish the game with the 10-point victory.
Reid and King led the team in scoring with 16 points each, followed by Hrncir with 15. Reid finished with his third double-double of the season as he added 12 rebounds, while Hrncir was one rebound shy as he hauled in nine, with five on the offensive glass.
Gavin Hershberger was the other double-digit scorer, as he netted 11 points on 5-7 shooting and collected five offensive rebounds.
Upper Iowa is back on the court tomorrow against St. Cloud State at 6 p.m. in St. Cloud, Minn.
