Box Score Fayette, Iowa—Minnesota Crookston looked to bounce back after struggling from the field last night on the road at Upper Iowa.
 
Upper Iowa used hot shooting from Jackson Joens and made free throws down the stretch to hold off the Golden Eagles, 102-94.
 
Upper Iowa, winners of four in a row, improves to 11-7 on the season (8-4 NSIC), while the Golden Eagles fall to 8-10 overall (4-8 NSIC).
 
The Golden Eagles jumped out to a quick 8-2 start after back-to-back 3-point makes from the field from both Brian Sitzmann (R-So., G, Savage, Minn.) and Malcolm Cohen (R-Sr., G/F, Detroit, Mich.) and a dunk from Javier Nicolau (Sr., F, Castellon, Spain).
 
The first half would continue to be back and forth and it also turned into an offensive showcase.
 
UIU would go on a 6-0 run to take a 25-19 lead, which forced a Dan Weisse timeout. After the timeout, the Golden Eagles would go on a 13-2 run, highlighted by Harrison Cleary's (Sr., G, Oak Creek, Wis.) 12-straight points.
 
The first half would go back and forth, with the Peacocks leading by as much as five down the stretch, but a tough Cleary runner on the right side of the floor cut the Peacock lead to just three at 45-42.
 
Cleary led the way with 21 points and three assists, followed by Sitzmann and Cohen, who each scored five points in the first half. The Golden Eagles shot the ball well in the first 20 minutes, shooting the ball at a 46.9 percent clip.
 
The Peacocks would score five straight coming out of the halftime locker room, but Nicolau would halt the run with the unconventional three-point play.
 
Upper Iowa came out of the gates scorching-hot in the second half, making five of their first six shots, to extend their lead to ten, early on in the second half.
 
Jackson Joens would be unconscious to open the second half, burying two 3-point shots in a matter of one minute, to extend the UIU lead to 11. The Peacocks would lead by 10 at the first media timeout of the second half.
 
UIU would stretch their largest lead of the game to 12, but that lead would be cut to nine after Cohen's second three of the night.
 
The Golden Eagles would hang around and would cut the Peacock lead to four after a huge Zac Olson (R-So., F, Waterville, Minn.) corner three and would get within a bucket after a Cohen layup.
 
All night, the Peacocks couldn't seem to miss from the 3-point line, extending a once two-point lead to eight with less than six minutes to go.
 
The Peacocks would be clutch down the stretch to down the Golden Eagles and win their fourth straight, all inside Dorman Gymnasium.
 
Cleary finished the night with 35 points, six assists and four rebounds and is now 75 points away from passing former St. Cloud State great Gage Davis for the all-time NSIC conference scoring leader.
 
Tyrese Shines (Fr., G, La Grange, Ill.) and Cohen each added 19 and 12 points, respectively. The Golden Eagles shot 51.6 percent, but unfortunately was outdone by the Peacocks who shot a blistering 56.3 percent from the field.
 
Minnesota Crookston is back in action Friday for what will be the first of four home games in a row. The Golden Eagles host The University of Mary on Friday night. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m., inside Lysaker Gymnasium.