Box Score

MARSHALL, Minn. – Upper Iowa, one of the hottest teams in the NSIC, continued its recent outstanding play, rallying for a dramatic 80-77 victory over Southwest Minnesota State in men's basketball on Saturday night at the R/A Facility.
 
SMSU held a 75-68 lead with 1:19 left in the game, but UIU rallied back to score 12 points in the final 64 seconds to earn the victory. UIU's Jake Hilmer converted a three-point play with five seconds left to give the Peacocks a 78-77 lead. Following an SMSU turnover, Hilmer made two free throws with 1.7 seconds left to seal the victory.
 
UIU has now won six straight and nine of its last 11 games to improve to 13-7 overall, 10-4 NSIC. SMSU dropped its third in a row and falls to 6-14 overall, 3-11 NSIC. The Mustangs have now lost five straight home games and are 3-6 at home this season.
 
SMSU had five players score in double figures with Kenny Byers leading the way with 16 points, eight assists and five rebounds. Jake Phipps and Weston Baker Magrath each scored 14 points, while Cliff McCray scored 11 points and Andy Stafford chipped in with 10 points.
 
UIU finished the game shooting 51 percent (28 of 55) from the field, which included 11 of 24 from 3-point range. It's the third straight game a Mustang opponent has made 11 or more 3-pointers in a game. SMSU shot 50 percent (28 of 56) from the field and made 7 of 15 from 3-point range.
 
Trailing 45-37 at halftime and 51-41 with 17 minutes left in the game, SMSU would battle back and put together a 9-1 run capped off by a Stafford layup to make the score 52-50 with 14 minutes remaining.
 
UIU would stop the run and extend the lead to 57-52 with 10 and a half minutes left in the game. Phipps would jumpstart an SMSU rally with a layup and then close off the 6-0 run with another layup to give SMSU a 58-57 advantage with eight minutes remaining.
 
The teams would exchange the lead over the next four minutes before Byers hit a jumper with four minutes left to put the Mustangs in front 66-64. Following a pair of free throws by Hilmer, SMSU would regained the lead on two free throws by Byers to make the score 68-66 at the 3:36 mark. Following a missed field goal by UIU, Byers would hit another jumper to make the score 70-66 with three minutes left.
 
UIU would miss another field goal on its next possession and SMSU would add to the lead as Baker Magrath, who scored a season-high in conference play, would score to give SMSU a 72-66 advantage with 2:12 remaining.
 
The Peacocks would answer with a field goal, but on the next SMSU possession, Stafford found Nick Dufault open for a corner 3-pointer with 1:19 remaining to push the Mustang lead to 75-68. UIU answered with a huge 3-pointer by Jareese Williams to keep the Peacocks in the game. Williams finished the night with a game-high 24 points on 8 of 12 shooting with five 3-pointers.
 
The final minute proved to be costly for the Mustangs and the Peacocks took advantage. Following the Williams 3-pointer, SMSU turned the ball over, but the Mustang defense came through with a big defensive stop and looked to put the game away. But on the ensuing SMSU possession, the Mustangs missed a dunk and UIU's Joe Smoldt secured the rebound and was fouled with 20 seconds left. Smoldt would hit both free throws to cut the margin to 77-75.
 
Byers would draw a foul with 11 seconds remaining, but missed the front-end of the one-and-one and UIU took advantage as Hilmer sprinted down the court and scored on a layup and was fouled with five seconds left. He made the free throw to give UIU the lead and moments later SMSU turned the ball over on the in-bounds pass to help seal the victory for the Peacocks.    
 
UIU jumped to an early 13-4 lead in the game's opening four minutes behind a trio of 3-pointers. SMSU would battle back and cut the deficit to 18-15 with 12:25 on the clock following a layup by Baker Magrath.
 
A pair of McCray free throws trimmed the UIU lead to 25-24 with 9:18 left, but a 3-pointer by UIU's Hilmer started a 13-5 run that put the Peacocks up 38-29 with five minutes remaining in the half.
 
SMSU would later make the score 42-37, but a 3-pointer by UIU in the final seconds, its eighth of the half, would give the Peacocks a 45-37 halftime lead.
 
UIU shot a blistering 62 percent in the opening half, including 8 of 16 from 3-point range. SMSU shot 48 percent in the half with three 3-pointers.
 
Southwest Minnesota State returns to the road next Friday, Jan. 31, to play Minnesota Crookston.