This Week in Women’s Basketball...

Upper Iowa closes out a four-game roadtrip this weekend with a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference rematches.  On Friday, the Peacocks visit Marshall, Minn. to take on the Mustangs of Southwest Minnesota State inside the R/A Facility at 6 p.m.  Then on Saturday, UIU closes out the roadtrip when they invade Mankato, Minn. for a 4 p.m. showdown with the Minnesota State University Mavericks.

Scouting the Mustangs

The Mustangs of Southwest Minnesota State enter Friday’s matchup with a 6-11 record overall which includes a 5-8 mark in NSIC play.  The Mustangs are riding a two-game winning streak and have won three of their last four after defeating Minnesota Duluth and Bemidji State last Friday and Saturday.

Senior guard Tori Fink leads the Mustangs with 12.5 points per game and is making 44.9% of her shot attempts from the field.  Junior center Abby Kenealy also averages in double-figures with 10.9 points per outing.

SMSU ranks third in blocks (3.82 blocks per game) among the 14 teams in the NSIC but ranks 13th in scoring offense (59.6 points per game) and last in field goal percentage (37.2%).

Scouting the Mavericks

The Mavericks of Minnesota State enter Friday’s game with Winona State with a 10-7 overall record which includes a 7-6 mark in NSIC play after winning their tilts last weekend at home versus Bemidji State and Minnesota Duluth.

The Mavericks are led by Ali Wilkinson’s 12.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game and are very highly ranked in the NSIC in many defensive statistical categories. 

Minnesota State has the third-best scoring defense by only allowing their opponents to score 59.5 points per game which can be attributed to holding their opponents to just 27.2% shooting from beyond the three-point arc.

Series History

Since transitioning to NCAA Division II before the 2005-06 season, the Peacocks are 3-5 when playing Southwest Minnesota State and 0-4 when lining up against Minnesota state

The Last Meeting

This weekend marks the second time this season the Peacocks will matchup with this weekend’s opponents.

On December 18, the Peacocks defeated SMSU, 53-49 for their first NSIC victory since December 13, 2008 against Bemidji State.  Leading the way for Upper Iowa was Jeri Jacobson and Lana Otting, who each scored 14 points. Cassandra Deiters dropped in 12, while Heidi McKean scored 9 points, pulled down 12 boards and handed out 4 assists.

The night before, UIU opened the home portion of the 2010-11 schedule by dropping a 72-44 decision to the Mavericks of Minnesota State.

Getting a Second Chance

UIU ranks second in offensive rebounding by averaging 12.65 per game.  Only Minnesota Duluth tallies more offensive rebounds per game (13.35) in the NSIC.

Live Stats and Web Cast

Live stats and a web cast will be available for both games.  Visit upperiowaathletics.com for further details.

Looking Ahead

The Peacocks return home next Friday and Saturday, February 4 and 5 to open a three-game home stretch against three teams fighting for position among the top eight in the NSIC.

On Friday, the Peacocks welcome Concordia-St. Paul to Fayette before hosting St. Cloud State inside Dorman Gymnasium on Saturday.  Both contests are set to tip at 6 p.m.