The Peacocks returned to Dorman Gymnasium for the second game of the weekend and welcomed the Golden Eagles of Minnesota Crookston. Upper Iowa matched Minnesota, Crookston in the early going, but a 17-5 Golden Eagle run in the final minutes of the half was the difference in the contest. UIU dropped to 1-14 on the year and 1-10 through the first half of the NSIC season after the 74-59 loss.

 

The two teams traded blows over the first twelve and a half minutes as the lead changed hands seven times. UIU took their last lead, 21-19, of the first half at the 7:37 mark on three-pointer from Jen Herrick. The Golden Eagles dominated the remainder of the half outscoring their hosts 17-5 to take a 36-26 advantage into intermission. UMC went on a 12-0 run, which lasted five and a half minutes and put the Peacocks in a large hole.

 

Both teams made 12 field goals but the visitors were much more efficient using 16 less attempts. UMC also attempted 12 free throws while UIU did not visit the charity stripe. The Golden Eagles had three players in double figures, while UIU was paced by Lana Otting and Lyndsay Westgaard; each scored six.

 

The Peacocks chipped away at the margin and closed within six, 39-33, four minutes into the second half. Unfortunately, the Golden Eagles pushed their lead to sixteen points, 54-38, midway through the second half thanks to a 15-5 run. UMC hit six of their seven shots during the run. The visitors largest lead of twenty points, 68-48 came with just over three minutes to play. A 9-1 run by the Peacocks cut the gap to twelve with just under a minute to play, but it wasn’t enough to erase the deficit as the home team lost by a score of 74-59.

 

Upper Iowa was led by a trio of scorers in double figures; Jeri Jacobson was on the top of the scoring column for the Peacocks with 13, while Chelsea Arndt and Otting netted 10 apiece. Leading the way for the Golden Eagles was Bri Zabel, who scored a game-high 21 points, as well as Brittani Wiese and Jamie Zelinksy; each chipped in 17 points.

 

Upper Iowa will head west next Friday and Saturday, Jan. 21-22, for a pair of NSIC contests. The Peacocks will face Augustana in Sioux Falls, S.D. on Friday at 6 p.m. and then head to Wayne State in Wayne, Neb. on Saturday at 4 p.m.