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GAME THREE || Saturday, November 24, 2012 || 3:00 PM
Maryville, Missouri || Bearcat Arena (2,500)
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GAME FOUR || Sunday, November 25, 2012 || 1:00 PM
Maryville, Missouri || Bearcat Arena (2,500)
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This Week in Upper Iowa Men's Basketball... As soon as the turkey leftovers are put away, the Peacocks will hit the road, heading south for the Northwest Missouri State Bearcat Basketball Classic in Maryville, Missouri. UIU will take on the host Bearcats on Saturday, November 24th before facing the University of Central Missouri on Sunday, November 25th.
The Series... This will be the first time the Bearcats of Northwest Missouri State and the Peacocks square off in the history of their programs. This will also be the first time the Peacocks face the Mules of Central Missouri.
Peacocks Hold On In Kirksville... Despite an all-around strong shooting performance in the first half of Wednesday night’s matchup with the Bulldogs of Truman State, the visiting Peacocks’ counted on their defense late to fend off a rally by the home team. UIU sealed its second consecutive non-conference victory with a few clutch free throws late, winning 70-67. For the second-straight game, it was Sam Elgin leading the way on offense. The senior wing tallied 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. He also collected seven rebounds.
Strong Second Half Propels UIU Past WJC In Season-Opener... Despite some early mistakes and missed shots, nothing could stop the Upper Iowa men’s basketball team from opening their 97th season on the hardwood with a victory. That was bad news for the visiting William Jewel Cardinals and their legendary coach Larry Holley. The Peacocks trailed by eight at halftime after shooting just 31 percent from the floor in the first period. But UIU bounced back with a resounding 43 points in the second half as they earned the 68-60 victory in non-conference play this past Sunday. Senior wing Sam Elgin led the way for the Peacocks in scoring in both the first and second periods. The Center Point, Iowa native had team-highs in points (15), rebounds (8) and assists (3). The Peacocks sent Holley, who has been selected to five Hall of Fames over his 34 years of service to the WJC program, and the Cardinals to their second straight loss this year.
Leading the Bearcats... NMSU (3-0) averages 72 points per game, while giving up only 53 points per contest on defense. A year ago, senior guard Alex Sullivan never scored more than 15 points in a game. This year, he has surpassed the 20-point plateau twice, including a game-high 28 points against Graceland in the Bearcats' season-opening victory. Sullivan, who has filled the offensive void left by the hobbled Deshaun Cooper, leads the team with 19.3 ppg. DeAngelo Hailey and Dillon Starzl also average double-digits in points per contest for the Bearcats.
Leading the Mules... The Mules (2-0), who currently sit in second all-time with 1,565 wins in NCAA Division II play, will look to stay perfect early in the season as they face Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday before facing the Peacocks on Sunday. UCM won both of their early season home games this year defeating Culver-Stockton 89-56 last Saturday, and holding on to a close victory against Webster University, 67-62, in their season-opener. Senior Dominique Long leads the team in scoring with 14.5 points per game and chips in 5 rebounds per contest. Widgett Washington and Charles Hammock are right behind Long with 12.5 and 12 ppg, respectively. Alex Dean is the team's leading rebounder with 8 per game. UCM averages 78 total points per game, while only giving up 59 on defense.
Seven Seniors Leave Their Legacy... Tucker Wentzien, Jake Hughes, Sam Elgin, Joey Woods, Cedric Collins, Michael Lafrenz and Jake Shonka enter their final year in the Peacock blue. Together, this group averaged 52.5 points per game, or 75 percent of the team’s total points last season and started this season off with a victory. Combined, the seniors had 46 of the 68 points in UIU's season-opening victory over the Cardinals. These seven seniors will again be counted on all season long as the Peacocks compete in a very strong NSIC-South conference.
Preseason Poll... The Peacocks were picked by the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference to finish twelfth in the sixteen-team league's preseason poll released in mid-October. Winona State was selected as the 2012-13 NSIC Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ overall favorite and in the NSIC-South Division poll. They received 219 points and ten first place votes. Defending NSIC/Sanford Health Men’s Basketball Tournament Champions of Southwest Minnesota State came in second with 209 points and four first place votes. Minnesota State was third with 185; St. Cloud State was fourth with 174 and MSU Moorhead fifth with 170 points and a first place vote. Augustana was sixth with 155 points and a first place vote. MSU Moorhead was the coaches pick in the NSIC North Division as they amassed 46 points and five first place votes. NSIC coaches rank each team from 1 to 15 with a first place vote receiving 15 points, second place 14, third place 13, etc. Coaches do not rank their own team or vote for their own players.Click here to view the release.
Up Next... UIU' non-conference road schedule ends in Missouri. The Peacocks will start their Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference regular season on the first of December as they travel north to face the Warriors of Winona State at 6 PM. That mid-week matchup will be followed with back-to-back games conference road games. The Peacocks will face Concordia-St. Paul on December 7th before facing Minnesota State a day later. Both matches will begin at 8 PM. Click here to view the full scheudle. You can hear all of the action of those matches by clicking here.
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