The Peacock women’s basketball team returned to the court tonight two nights later than they expected. Winter weather in the North Central region of the country postponed all Northern Sun Conference games that had been scheduled for Jan. 1 and 2. Upper Iowa welcomed the Wolves of Northern State to Dorman Gym tonight in their first action since breaking a near three-year winless span at home in NSIC play. While the Peacocks owned the first half, the Wolves rallied in the second and hit a last second three-pointer to break a tie with no time on the clock to win 72-69.

 

After a slow start, the Peacocks dominated the first half of play thanks to 54% shooting including five made three-pointers. The home team trailed 11-6 five minutes into the game, but a trifecta from Heidi McKean and a Lana Otting jumper tied the contest quickly. Upper Iowa continued to keep their foot on the pedal and pushed out to a fourteen-point lead, 37-23. The Peacocks outscored their guest 31-12 over thirteen and a half minutes. NSU scored the final four points of the half as the teams headed to the locker rooms separated by ten points, 37-27.

 

Lana Otting led all scorers with 12 points for the women in white, while the Wolves were paced by Jodi Reinschmidt and Krista Rabenberg who each scored 8 points. The Peacocks held Northern State to just 37% shooting in the first half.

 

After the teams opened the second half trading baskets, the Wolves got back within three, 44-41, thanks to a 6-0 run fueled by three straight jumpers. The battle continued to the midway point of the half when the visitors took their first lead, 53-52, since the 13:28 mark of the first half. Neither team yielded changed hands over and over as the clock wound down. After a smooth floater in the lane by Otting tied the game at 62-62, a pair of Wolves’ free throws and a jumper in the paint put UIU in a four-point hole with two minutes to play.

 

Carrie Thoma stepped to the charity stripe after being hit on a layup and calmly knocked down two. The defense then made a stand and forced a turnover with just over a minute to play. Otting got the crowd on their feet with a three-pointer from the left wing that gave the Peacocks a 67-66 lead with under 54 seconds on the clock. The long range bomb was Otting’s fifth of the game. 

 

The Wolves stole the momentum right back as Emily Becken converted on an old-fashioned three-point play. Thoma pulled the Peacocks even with twenty-four seconds to play on a follow up, but Northern State hit the final basket of the night. Becken let a dagger fly from the right wing and it hit nothing but nylon to claim a victory for the Wolves, 72-69, as the horn sounded.

 

Northern State’s buzzer beater spoiled Otting’s best performance of the season. The junior racked up 23 points on 9 of 12 shooting including a perfect 5 for 5 from behind the arc. Jeri Jacobson added 13 off the bench, while McKean dished out 5 assists and 6 rebounds.

 

Upper Iowa (1-9, 1-5 NSIC) will return to Prochaska Court tomorrow evening for another NSIC game. The Peacocks will host the Marauders of U-Mary at 6 p.m.