Upper Iowa men's basketball fell short in an overtime loss to the University of Missouri-St. Louis in an 87-80 decision in the semifinals of the GLVC Championship Tournament.

UMSL came out strong, shooting 70% from the field in the first 12 minutes, pushing them to a six-point lead, 29-23, with 7:42 left in the first half. However, Upper Iowa fought back, tying the game twice in the closing minutes, with the last equalizer coming at 33-all with just over four minutes remaining. 

Upper Iowa made 9-of-11 free throws compared to UMSL's 2-of-5 in the opening session. On the defensive end, Caleb Delzell recorded two big blocks. The Peacocks went into halftime trailing, 43-38, as the Tritons shot 63% from the field in the first period.

The second half saw a back-and-forth battle. Upper Iowa clawed back and tied the game at 58-all, and down the stretch, a clutch and-one play from Nick Reid gave the Peacocks their first lead since the opening minutes, 64-63. 

The Peacocks tightened their defense, preventing UMSL from scoring the last two minutes of regulation. With ten seconds left, Reid nailed a contested corner jumper at the buzzer to send the game into overtime at 71-all.

In overtime, Upper Iowa briefly led, 75-73, after a big three-pointer from Reid, but UMSL's leading scorer of the night nailed back-to-back three-pointers, giving the Tritons an 80-75 advantage that the Peacocks couldn't overcome. Upper Iowa could only cut the deficit to three, 81-78, with a pair of free throws from Reid. UMSL sealed the victory by making critical free throws down the stretch.

UMSL shot 50% from the field, while Upper Iowa shot 36%. Both teams shot just over 30% from beyond the arc. Upper Iowa collected 13 offensive rebounds, while UMSL grabbed 10. 

Reid led the Peacocks with 27 points, followed by Kyle Hrncir with 20 points. The pair each hauled in nine rebounds. 

The Peacocks will await their postseason fate as they tune in to the NCAA DII Selection Show on Sunday night at 10 p.m. in hopes of an at-large bid to the NCAA DII Tournament.