GRAND FORKS, N.D.--The Fighting Sioux men's basketball team used a 9-0 run at the start of the second half to defeat Upper Iowa 65-51 tonight at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center, UND's sixth consecutive victory.
UND improves to 6-3 with the victory while the Peacocks drop to 0-9.
UND's outburst to start the second half turned a five-point halftime lead into a comfortable 14-point cushion before the half was five minutes old.
A pair of Emmanuel Little (Sr., Chicago, Ill.) baskets sandwiched around a Derek Benter (Fr., Crosby, N.D.) three-pointer gave the Sioux a 31-19 lead just 2:15 into the half. UND then stretched the lead to 15 points on an O.J. Harrison (Jr., Danville, Ill.) layup two minutes later and the Sioux were in control and often-sloppy game.
The Peacocks managed to stay within 10 points during the middle of the half, but a 13-4 Sioux run sealed Upper Iowa's fate.
Back-to-back layups by Ervin Youmans (Sr., Hobbs, N.M.) and Travis Bledsoe (So., Minneapolis, Minn.) made it 54-38 with 4:08 remaining, and Bledsoe provided the final dagger with a three-pointer to make it 57-38 with 3:24 remaining.
Center Ben Lehnertz (So., Goodview, Minn.) brought the Sioux fans to their feet one final time with just under a minute and a half remaining. Youmans drove to the basket, drew the defender and dished in the lane to Lehnertz, whose two-handed dunk provided the exclamation point on UND's sixth straight win.
Bledsoe finished with a team-high 13 points, going 5-for-6 from the field, including 3-for-4 on three-pointers. He also had three assists and two steals. Bledsoe and Little (11 points) were the only Sioux players to hit double figures.
A.J. Adkins led the Peacocks with 14 points.
The Sioux were able to put the game away in the second half, shooting 68 percent (17-for-25) from the field in the final 20 minutes. UND shot 59 percent from the floor for the entire game, compared to Upper Iowa's 46.5 percent.
The Peacocks did manage to hold a 23-22 edge in rebounding.
UND returns to action on Saturday against Jamestown College. Tip-off time is set for 7 p.m.
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