Dec. 5, 2008
Final Stats
The Upper Iowa women's basketball team welcomed the Golden Bears of Concordia University, St. Paul to Dorman Gym on Friday evening for the first Northern Sun Conference game of the 2008-09 campaign. The Peacocks looked to match their agressive offense which is averaging 84.4 points per contest versus the Golden Bears' defense which came into the game allowing opponents only 69.9 points a game. Upper Iowa used a strong shooting performance in the first half including 6 of 11 shooting from three to take a four-point halftime lead. The home team built a twelve-point lead in the second half, but CU stormed back to take the victory by three points, 76-73. With the loss, Upper Iowa fell to 3-3 overall and 0-1 in the NSIC, while Concordia improved to 6-2 overall and 1-0 in conference action.
The teams played evenly through the first four minutes of the game as Concordia edged out to an 8-7 lead. The visitors pushed their lead out to five points, 13-8, just three minutes later. Upper Iowa kept their focus and tied the game, 16-16, with after a Paige DeVine three-pointer and an Andrea Downs jumper. After the rally, the Peacock run continued and reached a 10-1 advantage when the home team took a 21-16 lead with just over eight minutes to play. Upper IOwa and Concordia matched each other's points for the remainder of the half. The Peacocks carried their four-point lead, 37-33, into the locker room. UIU's advantage in the half had a lot to do with their 13-6 advantage in points off turnovers
The Peacocks came out in the second half and quickly increased their lead to seven points thanks to an old-fashioned three-point play and a lay up from Downs. The home team crept slowly out to a double-digit lead, 49-39, when Lene Lox drained a deep trifecta. At the 11:05 mark in the second period, Britney Iredale stepped to the line and knocked down two free throws to give UIU their biggest lead of the night, 53-41. The Golden Bears' defense picked up and forced the Peacocks into a pair of turnovers, while their offense came alive going on a 11-0 run that took only 2:13 off the game clock. The Peacocks righted themselves and regained a five-point advantage, but it did not last. With a pair of free throws, the visitors tied the game with just over five minutes to play, 59-59. As the game wound down to three minutes to play, the teams remained tied at 65. With 2:20 on the clock the Peacocks shared the lead for the final time in the game. CU's Shandrell Duncan staked her team to a three-point lead on a three-point play. The Peacocks trailed by the same three points with under thirty seconds to play when Iredale hit a tough jumper over a Golden Bear defender to cut the margin to one point. UIU fouled immediately and sent Zoraa Quoie to the charity stripe where she hit a pair of free throws to give the visitors a three-point lead. Downs drove to the hole quickly on the offensive end and recut the deficit to one, 74-73. Upper Iowa fouled again and Jamie Jones stepped up and hit another two free throws to push the CU lead back to 76-73. UIU's final two shots missed off the rim and the home team fell by three.
The Golden Bears were led by Jamie Jones (25 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds), Candace Olstad (17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists), Shandrell Duncan (13 points), and Zoraa Quoie (11 points).
The Peacock scoring attack was led by Downs' 22 points. Three other UIU players reached double figures including Lox (12), Iredale (11), and Melissa Fitz (10). Upper Iowa won the rebounding battle 39-32 led by Iredale's 9 boards. Lana Otting handed out 6 assists in the game.
Upper Iowa will return to the court tomorrow night to take on the Huskies of St. Cloud State. St. Cloud is one of the four new schools in the fourteen-member Northern Sun Conference. The Peacocks and Huskies will tip off in Dorman Gym at 6 p.m.
