Upper Iowa men's basketball battled to an 84-71 victory over Rockhurst on Thursday night in Fayette. The Peacocks improved to 13-5 overall and 7-3 in the league, while the Hawks dropped to 12-6 (6-4 GLVC). 

The conquest was hard-fought, as neither squad held more than a four-point lead until there were under nine minutes remaining in the second half. The Peacocks broke through that barrier as Nick Reid and Kyle Hrncir led a 12-2 run to put Upper Iowa ahead 61-53 with 8:05 left.

Upper Iowa's burst came after the Hawks answered with six unanswered points to briefly take a two-point lead. However, the Hawks committed two turnovers during that stretch, which fueled the Peacocks' offense.

Rockhurst attempted to cut into the momentum with an and-one layup followed by a three-point basket to trail by four (63-59), but Noah King's driving layup at the rim and two free throws from Reid made it an eight-point ball game. 
 
With six minutes remaining, Rockhurst failed to convert a field goal until the game's final basket. During that stretch, all of their points came from free throws. The Peacocks saw scoring from Hrncir, Reid and King to conclude the match. 
 
At the three-minute mark, RU sank a three-pointer, but Upper Iowa quickly answered with two baskets from King and an and-one from Hrncir, capping off a 7-0 run to seal the win.
 
The Peacocks went into the locker room at halftime with a 34-31 advantage after Reid sank three free throws to end the session to give them the three-point boost. The Hawks were 0-12 from the three-point line in the first half, compared to UIU going 3-9. 
 
For the entire game, UIU shot 43% from the field and 28% from long distance, as RU netted 38% from the floor and 16% (3-19) beyond the arc. 
 
Reid mustered a game-high 32 points on 10-20 shooting and 10-11 from the charity stripe. King contributed a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Hrncir put up 18 points, hauled in six rebounds and dished out three assists. Caleb Delzell walled up on the defensive end as he rejected five shots. 
 
Men's basketball is back at home for Alumni Day on Saturday against William Jewell at 3 p.m.