HAMMOND, Ind. - The Peacock men's basketball team (3-1) battled back after being down 20 in the first half, 34-14, to beat Purdue Northwest (0-3), 92-86 on Saturday. Kyle Hrncir scored 20 points, with 18 coming in the second half.
After being down 77-64 with 9:21 left in the game, Upper Iowa went on a 17-3 run over six minutes to give the team its first lead since being up 2-0, at 81-80. Hrncir knocked down two free throws to take that lead. During that stretch, Ty Pflughaupt scored seven of his fifteen total points, which included a 3-pointer to spark the run.
In total, the Peacocks outscored the Pride, 28-9, over the last ten minutes. Free throws by PNWs' Aaiden Ashton gave them an 82-81 lead with 2:42 left. That didn't last long as Hrncir made a layup the next possession to help Upper Iowa finish the game on an 11-4 run. Hrncir added the final exclamation point with a steal and dunk to seal the win.
Upper Iowa started the second half on a 13-2 run. Austin Hilmer hit a 3-pointer to bring UIU within 10, 50-40. Hrncir scored the next six out of the 10 points, including a jumper that brought the team within two, 52-50.
However, the Pride outscored the Peacocks 9-0 before Upper Iowa scored its next basket, 61-50. This helped the Pride maintain a 77-64 lead over the next six minutes.
After Upper Iowa went up 2-0 early, the team turned the ball over the next three of its four possessions. Northwest capitalized on that to take a 10-2 lead. PNU extended its lead to 21-5, and then eventually 34-14 for its largest lead of the game.
The Peacocks outscored the Pride by seven points in the last seven minutes of the half. With 38 seconds left, Anton Fontin hit a jumpshot to make the halftime score, 50-37.
Hrncir had a team-high 20 points, five rebounds, six assists, two steals and one block. He shot 53.3% from the field (8-15). Trey Lewis scored 15 points, with two rebounds and two assists. Pflughaupt posted 15 points and four rebounds.
Tate Petersen added 10 points and two assists. Hilmer had nine points while shooting 66.6% from three (2-3) and four steals.
Upper Iowa shot 30-of-56 (53.6%) from the field and 23-of-28 (82.1%) from the free throw line. The Peacocks outscored Purdue Northwest in the paint, 38-26, and 11-2 on fastbreaks. UIU held a 45-26 advantage in bench points while Northwest led in second-chance points, 18-11.
The Peacocks play their first home game against Minnesota Crookston (1-2) on Friday at 1 p.m.
