St. Louis - Dewayne Vass scored at the buzzer to boost the Maryville men's basketball team to a thrilling 83-81 victory over Upper Iowa. With the score tied at 81-81, Upper Iowa had the ball after a timeout. The Peacocks drove to the rim but the ball bounced out to Vass, who turned, dribbled the length of the floor and made the layup as the game clock hit zeros. Kelvin Swims poured in a career-high 27 points on 12-of-20 shooting to pace the offense.
 
Upper Iowa recap
The Peacocks built a 46-40 lead going into the break and the margin was still 48-42 early in the second half. The Saints stormed back with a 13-0 run to surge ahead. Dylan Ingram drained a 3-pointer, and JT Morgan hit a jumper. Ari Jackson nailed a transition triple as the Saints took a 50-48 lead. Swims scored on a short jumper, and Jackson splashed in another trey for a 55-48 advantage at the 15:12 mark.
 
Maryville kept a narrow margin and was still up 74-67 with six minutes remaining in the game. Upper Iowa chipped away at the margin and eventually tied the game 79-79 with 1:59 left. Ingram powered inside for a bucket but UIU tied the contest on the next possession. Neither team was able to score before the Peacocks had the ball with 34 seconds left. The Maryville defense stopped UIU, and the ball bounded out to Vass for the thrilling conclusion of the game.
 
All five Saints starters scored in double figures as Swims dropped the 27 points. Jackson scored 15 points, and Palacios added 12 points. Morgan added 11 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, while Ingram added 10 points and six boards.
 
The Saints shot 58.1 percent in the second half while holding the Peacocks to just a 33.3 mark after the break. Maryville scorched the nets from deep, hitting 10-of-15 from beyond the arc.
 
Statistical Leaders
Points: Kelvin Swims - 27
Rebounds: JT Morgan - 7
Assists: Dewayne Vass - 5
3-Pointers: Ari Jackson - 5
Steals: Ari Jackson and Ben Palacios - 2
Blocked Shots: JT Morgan - 2
 
Records
Maryville: 3-1
Upper Iowa: 1-3
 
What's Next?
The Saints head to the north side of town for two games hosted at UMSL. Maryville plays Michigan Tech on Tuesday, Nov. 22, and faces Grand Valley State Wednesday, Nov. 23.