Upper Iowa men's basketball traveled to the Windy City to round out their slate of games in 2024, challenging Roosevelt for the second time this season. 

The Peacocks cruised to a dominant 102-82 victory over the Lakers this afternoon, marking Brooks McKowen's 196th career win, making him the program's all-time winningest coach.

The previous record was held by Bill Prochaska (195 wins), who coached the men's basketball squad at Upper Iowa from 1971-1992. 

Nick Reid led the Peacocks with 35 points and 13 rebounds while showcasing an impressive 8-for-15 from three-point range. Gavin Hershberger contributed 24 points, while Ryan Heise added 26 points. Upper Iowa shot an efficient 44.4% (32-72) from the field and a scorching 44.7% from beyond the arc (17-38).

Reid, Hershberger and Heise each recorded their career-highs in the win this afternoon. 

UIU was hot from the jump, as they started the game 6-6 beyond the arc, with four coming from the hands of Reid. The Peacocks got out to an early 18-8 lead but later found themselves only up four (28-24) with 7:30 remaining in the opening stint. 

Back-to-back three-pointers from Hershberger and Heise lifted the team to a 42-31 advantage with four minutes to play, and Upper Iowa finished the first half ahead 51-39.

In the second half of the game, Upper Iowa pulled away with several series of runs, turning a competitive match into a comfortable victory. The first significant stretch came when the Peacocks strung together nine unanswered points behind continued scoring from Hershberger and Heise to go ahead 66-52. 

A Heise long-distance shot and three free throws at the stripe from Reid gave the Peacocks a 72-55 lead with under 15 minutes remaining.

Upper Iowa maintained its offensive dominance throughout the game and used the three-point ball as its greatest asset, ultimately securing its largest margin of victory with a 102-82 final score.

Men's basketball returns to the hardwood in January as they host Missouri-St. Louis on Jan. 3 and Maryville on Jan 5.