Upper Iowa men's basketball tipped off its 2024-25 campaign with a convincing 82-63 win over UW Parkside in game one of the Midwest Region Tournament in Springfield, Ill. The Peacocks trailed 32-31 at halftime but outscored their opponents 51-31 in the second frame behind a 57% clip from the field and 50 % from long range (6-12).
UIU had two players notch a double-double, as
Kyle Hrncir recorded 17 points on 7-11 shooting and nabbed 11 rebounds, seven on the offensive glass, while
Nick Reid tallied 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Noah King led the team in scoring with 21 points (10-21). Other double-digit scorers were
Caleb Delzell with 11, who went 4-5 from the floor and 2-3 beyond the arc, and
Ryan Heise, who netted ten points, shooting4-7 from the field and 2-2 from long range.
Gavin Hershberger dished out a team-high six assists.
The Peacocks shot 43.2% (32-74) from the floor, and the Rangers netted 50% on 26-52 shooting. UIU hauled in 18 offensive rebounds to help bolster their scoring on extra attempts at the rim.
Upper Iowa put together a quick scoring combination with bunnies from King and Hrncir and a three-point bang from Reid to lead 38-32 within the opening minutes of the second half.
Parkside chipped away and took over the lead four minutes later, getting ahead 45-41 with just under 15 minutes left to play. The Rangers led by six (49-43) with under 12 to go when Upper Iowa sprang into action and strung together an 11-0 run, fueled by a mixed-scoring attack and two Parkside turnovers.
UIU led 54-49 with 8:23 to go before UWP snapped the scoring streak after connecting on one from long distance to trail 54-52. The Peacocks responded with another large scoring run, sparked by a back-to-back three-point make and a dunk from Heise in his debut as a Peacock.
The Rangers netted a jumper in the paint to trail the Peacocks 62-54, but this was the closest they would follow behind for the remainder of the contest. UIU netted 16 unanswered points, pushing them out ahead of Parkside with two minutes left, leading them to finish the game with a 19-point margin of victory.
