FAYETTE, Iowa - Peacock men's basketball (7-1, 3-0 GLVC) overcame an 11-point deficit at halftime to upset No. 5 Missouri S&T (5-1, 2-1 GLVC), 87-80. Kyle Hrncir put up his fifth double-double of the season in the victory with 23 points and 11 rebounds.
Upper Iowa turned the tide in the second half after shooting 13-for-37 (35.1%) from the field and 1-for-12 (8.3%) from three. The Peacocks shot 13-for-16 (81.3%) from the field and 6-for-8 (75%) from beyond the arc during the first nine minutes, to take a 67-65 lead with 10:58 to go.
During that run, Trey Lewis scored 12 points, and Hrncir scored seven. The Peacocks outscored S&T 33-20 during that 81.3% shooting stretch.
Upper Iowa extended its lead to 72-67 at 10:02. Then, S&T answered by outscoring UIU, 10-5 over the next five minutes to regain its lead, 75-74.
This would be the final lead for the Miners, as a Hrncir spinning layup through traffic gave UIU the lead back with 3:37 left. Lewis then hit a huge 3-pointer from off a pass from Hilmer, who passed up a three of his own, increasing the lead, 79-75. A Hilmer steal and layup on the other end, along with Miller and Lewis knocking down both their free throws, sealed the UIU upset win.
The first half was dominated by the Miners from the opening jump. They scored four straight points in the first minute to take a 4-0 lead. UIU answered with a 5-0 run over the next two minutes. This was Upper Iowa's only lead of the first half.
Missouri S&T's Blaise Beauchamp hit a jumpshot at 17:51 on the next possession to gain back the lead, 6-5. The Peacocks got within three at one point during the rest of the half, 23-20, but were outscored, 39-29. Upper Iowa trailed, 45-34, after the half.
Lewis finished with 22 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Miller played tenacious defense, forcing four steals and blocking a shot. He also had two rebounds and three steals. Cael Reichter recorded six points, seven rebounds, one steal and one assist.
Nine of 11 Peacocks scored in the contest. This included Tate Petersen with six points and Zach Erwin with five points. Andrew Young led Missouri S&T in points with 29, shooting 11-for-15 (73.3%) from the floor and in rebounds with 12. Beauchamp scored a team-second-best 20 points.
Upper Iowa went 32-for-70 (45.7%) from the field and made 8-of-29 (27.6%) on 3-pointers. S&T shot 29-for-58 (50%) from the floor and went 9-for-28 (32.1%) from behind the arc. UIU outscored the Miners in bench points (19-10) and in the paint (36-28).
This marks back-to-back seasons for the Peacocks with wins over the Miners at home. Missouri S&T entered last season's contest at No. 5 as well, falling to the Peacocks, 100-85, on Feb. 8.
The Peacocks play their next game at home on Sunday, Dec. 14, against Clarke (3-10). The Pride lost on Saturday to MidAmerica Nazarene (8-5), 77-65.
