Dec. 13, 2009

Box Score

The Peacock women were back in action on Sunday afternoon in Dorman Gym as they took on the Beavers of Bemidji State. The defenses controlled the first half of action as both offenses shot under 40% and turned the ball over a combined 19 times. The Peacocks outplayed the Beavers in the second half in overcoming their seven point halftime deficit, but a last second offensive rebound and putback by the Beavers gave the road team the 78-76 win.

Both offenses struggled early in the game as the teams combined for only twenty points in the first seven and a half minutes; the visitors held a slight 12-8 advantage. An Inga Briede three-pointer brought UIU within one, 14-13, and then a Beaver turnover led to a fastbreak layup by Kenya Howard which gave the home team their first lead of the game. The defenses continued to control the game as Bemidji State crept out to a 25-23 lead with three minutes to play. The Beavers extended their lead to seven, 35-28, heading to the locker room after outscoring the Peacocks 10-5 in the final minutes. The deficit could have been larger for UIU, but a three-pointer by Howard as the horn sounded banked in to set the gap at seven.

The home team was led by Howard's 9 points and 8 rebounds in the first half, while Bemidji State got 11 points and 2 assists from Anna Hebrink.

The Peacocks returned to the court and opened play with a 19-6 run to take a 47-41 lead five minutes into the half. The run was highlighted by back-to-back trifectas by Carrie Thoma and Jennifer Herrick. Peacock fouls became an issue with thirteen minutes to play when DeVine and Cassandra Deiters each picked up their fourth fouls on consecutive possessions. Bemidji State tied the game at 50-50 thanks to the fouls. At the midway point of the second stanza, Upper Iowa had a 59-56 lead after an old-fashioned three point play by Howard.

As the clock crept under five minutes to play, the Peacocks still clung to a slim two-point lead, 70-68. The Beavers tied the game with two free throws, but Lana Otting found Howard for another inside bucket to reclaim the small advantage. The Peacock fouls finally caught up to them when Otting fouled out with two and a half minutes to play and the score tied, 74-74. The teams exchanged inside buckets and remained tied as the game moved under one minute to play.

Upper Iowa had the first chance to break the tie, but turned the ball over on a shot clock violation. Bemidji State held onto the ball as the clock whittled down driving in for a layup that missed long. The Beavers' Jessie Althoff came down with the rebound and put in a layup through traffic with 0.6 seconds to seal the win for the visitors, 78-76

The Beavers were led by Hebrink's 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Colleen McKay chipped in 15 points, while Althoff added 12. The Beavers took advantage of their time at the line shooting 31-39 for the game, compared to the Peacocks 17-21.

Eight Peacocks marked the scoring column led by Howard's 24 points. Otting and Deiters scored 13 and 12, respectively. Howard cleaned the glass for Upper Iowa with another double-digit day (13). Otting handed out 11 assists in the contest.

Upper Iowa will play their next game fifteen days from now on Dec. 28. The Peacocks will host the Flyers of Lewis University in Dorman Gym at 6 p.m.