Upper Iowa University Athletics

FAYETTE, Iowa - Upper Iowa (1-0) erased a 15-point deficit in the second half to beat Sioux Falls (S.D.) (1-0) in overtime, 94-91. Tate Petersen led the Peacocks with 19 points, while Jack Miller was second on the team with 15 points. 

Late in the game, USF's Nick Brady converted a driving layup with 12 seconds remaining to give the Cougars an 83-81 lead. After a Peacock turnover with four seconds left, USF's Alex Mattes hit the low Dorman ceiling on the inbounds, giving the ball back to UIU under the hoop. Cael Reichter converted a hook shot off the inbounds pass on the right side to send the game into overtime.

Eric Kenesie connected from 3-point land 11 seconds into overtime, allowing UIU to command an 86-83 advantage. Sioux Falls reclaimed a 91-88 lead with a minute to go.

Upper Iowa secured the 94-91 win after scoring the last six points off the game. Ben Bockman and Kenesie each had a driving layup during the spree, while Ty Pflughaupt had two game sealing free throws after securing a board off after two missed free throws. 

Sioux Falls held a 57-42 lead with a little over 16 minutes left in the second half. A few seconds later, Bockman hit a 3-pointer to cut USF's lead to 12. 

A pair of free throws by Petersen with eight minutes remaining cut UIU's deficit to 73-63. A minute later, Upper Iowa went on a 14-4 run to tie the game at 77 apiece. Petersen scored six points, while Miller added five during the stretch. The Peacocks shot 5-of-8 (62.5%) from the field as a team.

The Cougars led the Peacocks 45-33 heading into halftime. Sioux Falls went on a 19-6 run in the last five minutes of the first half, after being tied 27-27 with Upper Iowa. 

In the first half, USF was 15-of-25 (60%) from the floor, 4-of-9 (44.4%) from deep and 11-of-15 (73.3%) from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, UIU was 11-for-31 (35.4%) from the field, 5-for-14 (35.7%) from beyond the arc and 6-for-9 (66.7%) from the free-throw line. 

Petersen scored Upper Iowa's first nine points of the game. However, he was held scoreless by USF in the last 17 minutes of the half. 

Miller knocked in a triple to cut the UIU's deficit to 46-36. Two minutes later, USF outscored UIU 8-2 to stretch its advantage to 15. The points came off a pair of jump shots, a three and a free throw. 

Petersen totaled 19 points, four assists, two rebounds and a steal. Miller mustered 15 points, three rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal. Kenesie recorded 14 points, two rebounds, a block and UIU career-high five assists. 

Bockman boasted 13 points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal. Reichter posted 10 points, a steal and a team-best eight rebounds. 

Pflughaupt tallied 10 points, six rebounds and three assists. He led the squad with four offensive rebounds and two blocks. Anton Fontin had a team-high two steals. 

Brady recorded 24 points, and Jacoby Mehrman recorded 22 points for the Cougars. Mehrman also had a team-best 10 rebounds for a double-double.

Upper Iowa shot 32-of-66 (48.5%) from the floor, 10-of-24 (41.7%) from three and 20-of-30 (66.7%) from the charity stripe. Sioux Falls went 30-of-63 (47.6%) from the field, 9-of-19 (47.4%) from behind the arc and 22-of-33 (66.7%) from the free-throw line. 

UIU led USF 30-22 in bench points and 38-36 in paint points. Sioux Falls held a 19-4 advantage in second-chance points. 

The Peacocks recorded 38 rebounds and 19 assists. The Cougars collected 39 rebounds and 17 assists. There were a total of 51 fouls, 26 by UIU and 25 by USF. 

Upper Iowa hosts a season-opening crossover with Parkside (Wis.) (0-0) on Friday, Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. The team also plays Roosevelt (Ill.) (1-0) at home on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m.