Box ScoreThe Peacock women's basketball team tipped off their 2015-16 season on Sunday in Fayette with an exhibition game against Ashford University. Upper Iowa used a mix of solid shooting and tough defense to claim a 69-47 victory over the Saints. UIU won the first quarter by six points and increased their lead heading into each quarter break.
Upper Iowa doubled their guests field goals made in the first half to push out to a 10-point advantage at the break. The home team was led by a group of six players that all scored between 5 and 7 points in the opening two quarters. Newcomer
Sam Ofstad netted 7, while
Blake Bergren nailed a pair of trifectas to score 6.
Ashford stayed in the first half thanks to a 10-4 advantage in free throw makes as the Peacocks committed 12 personal fouls. UIU earned assists on 10 of their 14 baskets with Ofstad handing out 3 of them. While the Peacock passing was on target, the team's defense forced the Saints into 16 turnovers.
In the third quarter, sophomore
Madi Meier converted a three-point play on another Ofstad assist to spark a 9-0 run to pushed the home team's lead to 24 points, 59-35, late in the quarter. By the end of the quarter, the Peacocks had doubled their lead, 59-39, after converting 10 of their 15 shots in the third quarter. Eight Peacocks knocked down a shot in the period to account for the team's 22 points. UIU's defense played tough and held the Saints to just 22% shooting (4-18) from the field in the frame.
Ashford kept the Peacocks off the scoreboard for nearly the first five minutes of the fourth quarter while cutting the margin to seventeen, 59-42, but
Carly Pagel converted a fast break layup to break the drought and spark a 10-0 run.
Aleesha Cleaver and Bergren knocked down the Peacocks' sixth and seventh three-pointers of the night on successive possessions and Bergren added another runout lay in to reach the home team's largest lead of the game, 69-42. Ashford scored the final five points of the game to set the final count at 69-47.
Bergren led Upper Iowa on the night with 15 points and a pair of assists, while Ofstad scored 9 points and handed out 10 assists. Cleaver, who netted 12 points, and
Karlee Grabau led the team on the glass with 7 boards a piece and Pagel made her return to Dorman with 10 points and 5 rebounds.
Ashley Rosenstiel chipped in 7 points.
Upper Iowa will return to Prochaska Court on Nov. 2 to take on the Knights of Wartburg College in the team's second exhibition contest at 7 p.m. The Peacocks and Knights were former Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foes prior to UIU's move up to NCAA Division II and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
