CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa--Senior guard Ervin Youmans scored 16 points and senior forward Emmanuel Little added 12 points and nine rebounds to lift the Fighting Sioux men's basketball team to a 59-46 win over Upper Iowa this afternoon at the U.S. Cellular Center, giving UND its ninth straight win heading into the holiday break.

The win improved UND's record to 9-3 after starting the season with three consecutive losses.

The winless Peacocks (0-11) played the Sioux tight from virtually the opening tip, limiting the Sioux, who entered the week leading the North Central Conference in field goal percentage, to just a 48-percent clip in the first half.

Jude Roybal's eight first-half points, including a pair of 3-pointers, had the Peacocks to within six at 27-21 going into the locker room at halftime.

Upper Iowa then tied the game with an 8-2 run in the early minutes on a second half, thanks to a Roybal trey and five straight points by Dan Bestul, knotting the game at 29-29 with 17:34 remaining.

Upper Iowa's A.J. Adkins knocked down another 3-pointer less than three minutes later, giving the Peacocks a 3-point lead with just over 14 minutes showing on the clock.

But the Peacocks lead would be short-lived as UND exploded for a 13-4 run to recapture the lead for good. O.J. Harrison's (Jr., Danville, Ill.) 3-pointer put the Sioux back on top at 38-36 with 12:35 to go and UND would hang on the rest of the way.

Youmans soon followed Harrison's 3-pointer with a triple of his own, stretching the Sioux lead to five points.

UND would then stretch the lead to 14-points on two occasions and cruise the rest of the way.

Senior forward Jimmy Hoy (West Fargo, N.D.) complemented the scoring of Little and Youmans with eight points and a season-high eight rebounds.

Roybal led the Peacocks with 15 points and Adkins chipped in with 13.

UND will return to action on Dec. 29 when the Sioux face Bemidji State at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

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