Upper Iowa men's basketball advanced to the GLVC Championship Tournament semifinals after defeating Truman State in an 80-66 decision. Kyle Hrncir paced the Peacocks with 23 points and 10 rebounds on 9-12 shooting, while Noah King chipped in 17 points and Nick Reid totaled 16.
Upper Iowa came out strong in the first half, building a commanding 24-point lead, 36-12, with just over six minutes remaining in the opening session. Truman State responded immediately, executing a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to 38-28.
The Peacocks answered with a 6-2 run, pushing the lead back to 46-30. Upper Iowa went into halftime with a solid 46-32 advantage.
The Peacocks were led offensively in the opening stint by Reid (13 points) and Hrncir (14 points), with the team shooting an impressive 60% from the field and 5-of-9 from beyond the arc.
Truman State dominated the offensive glass, outrebounding Upper Iowa 10-3, which played a part in their first-half rally.
The Bulldogs made a strong push in the second half, cutting the lead to just three points, 56-53, after the first nine minutes of action. The Peacocks responded with a 13-2 run, highlighted by two key three-pointers from Jack Miller and a pull-up jumper, extending the lead to 69-55 with six minutes remaining.
TSU mounted a brief comeback, trimming the lead to 69-59 with just over four minutes left. The Bulldogs made another push, narrowing the gap to 69-64 with three minutes left after rattling off nine unanswered points, but Kyle Hrncir answered with an and-one play, putting the Peacocks ahead 72-64 with 2:47 remaining
Upper Iowa maintained control, outsourcing their opponents 11-2 in the closing minutes.
UIU concluded the game by shooting 55% from the floor, 47% from long range and 73% st the charity stripe.
The Peacocks are set to face UMSL tomorrow (Saturday) at 2:15 p.m. in the Hyland Arena.