Upper Iowa men's basketball wrapped up their road trip to Missouri with a thrilling 79-67 win over Southwest Baptist in Bolivar in a back-and-forth game that came down to the final minutes. 

The Bearcats held a comfortable 56-48 lead with 10:08 remaining in the second half, but the Peacocks mounted a stunning 20-4 run over the next six minutes to take control of the game, jumping ahead 68-60 with four minutes remaining. Upper Iowa's late offensive surge, paced by the team's leading scorer, Nick Reid, sealed the victory in the closing moments.

With just under three minutes remaining, a pull-up jumper from Reid extended the lead to 70-61, and one free throw from Ryan Heise then pushed the lead to double digits, 71-61. 

A dagger triple from Noah King with just over one minute left pushed the lead to 76-65, and a Reid three-pointer that followed shortly after sealed the deal, putting Upper Iowa ahead 79-65 with under a minute left.

The first half saw both teams trading leads early. The Bearcats opened up the game strong but found themselves trailing 36-27 at halftime after Upper Iowa's late push, which included two long-range shots from Ty Pflughaupt and Kyle Hrncir to put the Peacocks up eight going into the break. UIU shot 33% from deep in the first half, while Southwest Baptist struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 20%.

The second half began with a quick four points from the Peacocks, extending their lead to 40-27, but the Bearcats responded, going on a 14-2 run to close the gap to just one point, 42-41, with 14:16 left to play. The teams exchanged leads over the next several minutes until the Bearcats strung together a massive 15-2 run and pulled ahead by as many as eight points, 56-48.

The Peacocks not only fought through their opponent's scoring runs, but also faced their own shooting struggles, starting the second half by hitting just three of their first 24 shots from the floor. Upper Iowa's resilience shone through in the final stretch despite their early shooting woes.

A series of free throws alongside key baskets from William Kiburis, Hncir and Reid sparked the team's 20-4 run, with Reid knocking down several clutch shots, including a three-pointer that gave UIU a 62-58 advantage shortly after regaining the lead. Reid's shooting fueled Upper Iowa in their comeback, as he ended the game hitting seven of his final eight shots.

Upper Iowa used its rebounding ability to its advantage, hauling 19 offensive rebounds and connecting on 16 second-chance points. The Peacocks shot 36% from the field and 26% beyond the arc. 
 
Reid concluded the contest with 30 points and nine rebounds. Hrncir added ten points, nine rebounds and four steals, while Ryan Heise and Kiburis added nine and eight points, respectively.  
 
The Peacocks are back in action at home next week as they host Lincoln on Thursday at 7 p.m. and Missouri S&T on Saturday at 3 p.m.