Box Score RecordsÂ
Upper Iowa (2-4, 1-1 NSIC) || No. 13 Minnesota State (5-1, 2-0 NSIC)
Recap
The Mavericks of Minnesota State showed why they are the 13th-ranked team in the nation as they raced past the Peacocks inside the Taylor Center on Friday night. Despite 14 points from
Whitney Kieffer, the Mavericks forced 27 Peacock turnovers en route to a 101-66 NSIC victory.
From the onset, the Peacocks were playing from behind. The Mavericks controlled the opening tip and made their first three shots jumping out to a 6-0 lead early in the game. Struggling to get things going, the Peacocks found themselves in a 14-4 hole just three and a half minutes into the game. But that's when Kieffer started to get hot.
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Kieffer's penetration exploited the Maverick defense as the junior scored four points, handed out two assists and grabbed three rebounds, including two offensive rebounds in a span of four minutes. Her offensive burst pulled UIU within five points, 16-11, with 13:15 remaining before halftime.
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A minute later,
Olivia Winkler beat the defense for a layup to make it just a three point game, 16-13. Tyra Johnson hit a jumper from the baseline to stop the four-point run for UIU before
Sam Thrapp answered with two free throws at the 11:54 mark. Unfortunately for the Peacocks, that's when the Mavericks kicked it into gear.
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MSU scored nine straight points before the Peacocks found the net again. A free throw from Pagel cut it to a 27-16 game, but the Mavericks responded with back-to-back field goals and a quick 7-3 run. Â Pagel answered again, this time with a layup in the paint, to pull UIU within 11, 34-23, with 6:32 left in the first period. Â
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MSU connected on four straight free throws before UIU scored five straight thanks to two free throws from Kieffer and a three from Thrapp. Yet, every time the Peacocks had a big play on offense, the Mavericks answered right back. Just as soon as Thrapp's trifecta cut it to a 12-point game, the Mavericks' Britney Scherber answered with a three of her own on the other end.
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UIU responded as Kieffer converted a three-point play at the 1:27 mark, but that was UIU's last bucket of the first half. MSU finished the opening period on a 5-0 run to take a 50-33 lead into the break.
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The Mavericks shot 58-percent in the first half, while the Peacocks owned a 39-percent shooting clip. Kieffer led all scorers with 12 points on 3-of-9 shooting at the intermission, but turnovers plagued the team again as UIU turned the ball over 14 times in the first 20 minutes.
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MSU never skipped a beat as the Mavericks continued their strong play in the second half jumping out to a 56-33 lead before UIU found the net as
Lauren Buck banked a layup off the glass. Buck was quiet in the first half scoring just two points despite earning the Peacocks' first field goal of the game. Despite the layup, MSU didn't falter.
The Mavericks scored six straight points before
Emily Gustafson found fellow freshman
Courtney Major for a wide-open jumper on the left wing. Major finished with 7 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists and her trey cut the Maverick lead to 62-37 with 15:55 remaining in regulation.
Showing why they were the 13th-ranked team in the nation, the Mavericks outscored the Peacocks 51-33 in the second half to seal the 101-66 victory.
In all, UIU turned the ball over 27 times compared to just 11 for MSU.
Stat of the Game
For the third time this year, the Peacocks had 20 or more turnovers in a single game.Â
UIU Standouts
Kieffer (14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals), Thrapp (12 points, 2 steals), Pagel (11 points, 6 rebounds), Buck (8 points, 4 rebounds), Major (7 points, 4 rebounds 2 assists)
Sounding Off
"Our turnovers killed us tonight," Head Coach
Carol Russell said. "We have to do a better job of holding onto the basketball and maximizing our opportunities against a quality program like MSU."
Up Next
The Peacocks will look to bounce back tomorrow night against the Golden Bears of Concordia University St. Paul. That game is set for a 4 p.m. tip-off in St. Paul, Minnesota.
