Jan. 27, 2010
Final Stats
The Upper Iowa women's basketball team traveled to Kansas City, Mo., Wednesday night to play their final non-conference game of the 2009-10 season. The Peacocks took on the Hawks of Rockhurst University in a return game of last year's season-opening overtime thriller which saw the Hawks leave Dorman Gym with a 87-79 victory. Fortunately for the Peacocks, the Hawks wouldn't be able to keep their one-point halftime lead and it was UIU taking the non-conference road contest, 58-54.
Rockhurst led throughout the majority of the first half, this was before a Lana Otting layup put Upper Iowa in front, 16-15 with 6:08 to go before the halftime break. Otting scored the next two baskets for UIU, which sandwiched a Rockhurst bucket to give the visitors their largest led of the first half at three, 20-17. The teams went back and forth for the remaining 3:29 before an old-fashioned three-point play put Rockhurst on top, 25-24 heading into the locker rooms at halftime.
Otting led UIU at the break with eight points on four-of-seven shooting while Kenya Howard tallied 10 rebounds. Although Rockhurst recorded two more field goals in the first half, Upper Iowa forced 13 first half Hawk turnovers.
The first six minutes of the second half belonged to Upper Iowa as they raced out on a 11-0 run to take control of the contest, 35-25, with 14:53 remaining in regulation. A Paige DeVine free throw extended UIU's lead to 11, 38-27 with 11:37 left in the game, but Rockhurst wouldn't go away and eventually cut the Peacock lead to one, 38-37 with just under nine minutes to play.
A 16-6 run which lasted until the 2:06 mark of the second half all but sealed the game for UIU, but missed free throws down the stretch allowed the Hawks to get back within four points with 16 seconds to play, but they wouldn't get any closer as UIU collected the 58-54 victory.
Howard led the Peacocks with 14 points and 14 rebounds, her tenth double-double of the season. DeVine added six points while three other Peacocks added five. UIU shot 19-of-54 (35.2%) for the game while committing six less turnovers, 15, than the Hawks.
The win improves UIU's record to 2-17 overall while Rockhurst falls to 6-13.
Upper Iowa plays their next contest Saturday evening, Jan. 30, when the Warriors of Winona State visit Dorman Gym in Fayette for a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference showdown. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
