Dec. 2, 2007
Box Score
The women's basketball team of Upper Iowa took to the interstates for their first two Northern Sun Conference games of the 2007-08 season. The Peacocks headed to Aberdeen, South Dakota for a contest with the Wolves of Northern State on Friday and to Bismarck, North Dakota for a game with the Marauders of the University of Mary on Saturday evening. The Peacocks enter the conference as the preseason ninth pick by the conference coaches, while the Wolves and Marauders came into the season as the third (tie) and seventh picks, respectively. Upper Iowa took leads into the halftimes of both games, but cold-shooting second halves cost the road team two victories.
On Friday evening the Peacocks and Wolves took to the court for their NSIC opener and the result was a tale of two halves. Upper Iowa shot 43% from the floor in the first twenty minutes including 7 of 12 shooting from behind the arc. The Peacocks raced out to a 33-26 halftime lead on the strong play of Ashley Martin and Paige DeVine. Martin hit four three-pointers for 12 first half points, while DeVine scored 7 points going 3 of 3 from the floor.
Upper Iowa extended their lead to eleven points, 43-32, just four minutes into the second half, but it would be the last time the Peacocks would enjoy such a lead. Upper Iowa went cold over the next six minutes only scoring one point as Northern State climbed back into the game. The Wolves trailed by one with less than ten minutes to play, 44-43. The visitors steadied themselves as they gave their best effort to keep momentum from changing sides completely; a Christa Hammel jumper gave the Peacocks a three-point lead, 53-50, with 6:16 to play. The two points would be the last points scored by Upper Iowa in the game as Northern State finished the game on an 11-0 run to win the game 61-53.
Martin finished with 15 points to lead the Peacocks, while DeVine netted 12 points and pulled down 8 rebounds. Britney Iredale and Chelsea Petersen each grabbed 6 boards for the visitors. Iredale and Andrea Downs each dished out 5 assists in the game.
On Saturday Upper Iowa found themselves ahead at halftime for the second night in a row. The Peacocks took a 37-32 lead into half thanks to 48% shooting from the field led by Petersen. The senior forward tallied 9 first half points on 4 of 5 shooting and also snared 3 rebounds. Eight Peacocks scored in the first twenty minutes to contribute to the five-point lead.
The Marauders opened the second half on fire and quickly erased the Peacock lead tying on their first two possessions, 37-37. The teams continued to battle and were tied at 44-44 just three minutes into the second half when the Marauders went on a 10-0 run that evolved into a 15-2 spurt. The run gave U-Mary a 13-point lead, 59-46, with twelve minutes left on the clock. Three Marauder three-pointers keyed the decisive run. The home team was 5 of 7 from behind the arc in the second half.
The Peacocks battled back at shaved the lead down to five points, 72-67, thanks to a Downs three-pointer with 33 seconds remaining. Upper Iowa couldn't get any closer as the home team hit their final four free throws for a 76-67 win.
Hammel led the Peacocks with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Petersen scored 13 points and pulled down 7 boards, while Downs added 10 points and 7 assists. Sara Best registered 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in the loss.
Upper Iowa (4-7, 0-2 NSIC) will welcome St. Ambrose to Dorman Gym this Tuesday night, Dec. 5. The Peacocks and Queen Bees will tip off at 7:00 p.m.
