Box Score Records
Upper Iowa (2-3) || William Jewell (1-3)
Recap
For the first time since November 16, 2001, the Upper Iowa Men's Basketball team broke the century-mark in a game. Led by
Joey Woods and
Grant Lang, the Peacocks scored 101 points against the Cardinals of William Jewell College en route to their second victory of the season, 101-88, in non-conference play.
The teams were nearly even at halftime as UIU held a 44-42 lead, but the Peacocks shot an eye-popping 61-percent from the floor in the second half and outscored their hosts, 57-46, to seal the victory.
The Peacocks had five players finish in double-figures led by Woods' 21 points. The redshirt senior came off the bench and was nearly perfect from the floor as he hit 8-of-9 shots and 5-of-7 free throws. Lang was right on his heels with 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including a 4-of-7 clip from beyond the arc.
Jordan Hay also had his best game of his young career as he finished with 15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, two blocks and no turnovers in 25 minutes of play. All three of UIU's leading scorers came off the bench on Saturday.
UIU was red hot from the start and never trailed in the first half. The Peacocks led by nine, 19-10, five and a half minutes into the action after
Bo Pagel hit a trey. Three minutes later, Woods gave UIU its largest lead of the first half, 32-21, with a layup in traffic. Yet despite the lead, the Cardinals didn't go down softly.
WJC finished the first half on a 21-12 run and trailed by just two points at the break. The Cardinals posted a 48-percent shooting clip in the first period compared to a 42-percent mark for UIU, yet WJC still trailed at halftime. A big reason for that was the battle of the boards.
UIU out-rebounded WJC, 26-16, in the opening half and continued that dominance in period number two despite WJC taking an early 5-point lead in the period.
The Cardinals used the first five minutes of the second stanza to take a 57-53 lead over their guests as WJC went on a 15-9 run. In came the reserves for UIU and much like last week, they provided a big spark.
Lang hit one of his four threes in the game at the 13:03 mark to tie the game for the fourth time.
Kierre Ogbonna then answered a WJC jumper with a bucket of his own tying the game at 64-64. It would be two more minutes until UIU regained its lead.
Again, it was Woods and Lang who stepped up. Woods tied the game with a layup at the 10:49 mark before Lang hit another trey to give UIU a 69-66 lead – one they would not relinquish again.
The Peacocks finished the game on a 32-22 run, draining their final six shots of the game. The 101-88 victory gives UIU its second win of the year and the 101 points is a season-high breaking the team's previous high of 90 points which came back on Nov. 10 against Fort Hays State.
Stat of the Game
The Peacocks turned the ball over just three times in Saturday's game marking the first time since 2011 that UIU has finished with 5 or fewer turnovers in a game.
UIU Standouts
Woods (21 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists), Lang (20 points, 1 steal), Hay (15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks),
Jimmy Roth (11 points, 4 rebounds), Pagel (10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal),
Josh Weeber (9 points, 5 rebounds).
Sounding Off
Head Coach Brooks McKowen After the Game…
Thoughts on the First Half… "We started the game really well, but I give William Jewell credit. They came back from a double-digit deficit and they fought all the way back. Our guys got complacent and started to settle for threes while they remained aggressive and cut it to two points at the half."
Thoughts on the Second Half… "They went on a good run to start that second half and our guys could have easily given up. They had all the momentum, but our guys kept fighting and we attacked the rim. That really explains our hot shooting in the second half. We were able to get good looks at the bucket and we had a group of guys finding the bucket tonight. I've said it all year long, 'On any given night, anyone could be that 20-point scorer.'"
Thoughts on the Play of the Bench… "It was very similar to last week, where our bench really sparked our offense. The guys understand that it doesn't really matter who starts the game. What's more important is finding the right group and playing aggressive. Grant,
Kierre Ogbonna, Jordan and Joey came off the bench tonight and really gave us a ton of energy."
UIU Standouts… "Grant got it going right when he got in the game and kept it going throughout. I also give Joey a lot of credit – he didn't take a lot of tough shots tonight. He was getting to the rim and finishing. Jordan was another one who had a great game. He got it going last week at home and he continued that aggressive play here tonight. He earned a couple offensive rebounds and putbacks early, which boasted his confidence. He's tough to stop when he's playing with confidence."
On the Defense… "We don't like to give up 88 points, but I give our guys credit. When we needed stops in the second half, we got them. Our defense is what helped us go on those two big runs. Now, I'd like to see us put a full game together, but we're making progress."
Up Next
UIU will round out the non-conference schedule this Monday night as they take on the Griffons of Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
