FAYETTE, Iowa— Upper Iowa pulled away from Drury in the final six minutes for an 86-71 win in Fayette, Iowa on Thursday.
The Panthers fell to 10-6 and 3-5 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, while the Peacocks lifted their record to 10-5 and 5-2 in the league.
Drury trailed 35-34 at halftime, then seized a four-point lead early in the second half. The two teams traded leads until Upper Iowa, leading 51-50, went on a 10-2 run to extend their lead to eight with 8:46 remaining.
“I thought we guarded them hard and rebounded the ball well,” said Drury head coach Chris Foster. “It’s just unfortunate that the game got away from us at the end.”
Upper Iowa guard Jake Hillmer, the league’s scoring leader, finished with 23 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Logan Applegate led Drury with 18 points, scoring 14 of them in the second half. The sophomore from Nevada added six rebounds. Riley Naeger chipped in with 14 points and six boards.
Drury shot 41 percent in the game, going 28 for 68 from the field and 6 for 26 from three-point range. The Peacocks made 31 of their 66 field goal attempts but shot 57 percent in the second half, sinking 17 of 30 shots.
Upper Iowa also sank 19 of 25 free throws in the game, while the Panthers were 9 of 14.
The Panthers continue the road trip on Saturday, taking on Truman State at 3 pm in Kirksville, Missouri.
