The Peacock women's basketball team trailed the Golden Bears of Concordia University, St. Paul by nineteen points in the first quarter of today's Northern Sun Conference game, but Upper Iowa dug down and used big runs in the second and third quarters to climb back into the game and eventually earn the win by three, 71-68. After all was said and done, the Peacocks shot better than their hosts at the free throw line and three-point line to pick up the victory. UIU improved to 3-8 overall and 2-3 in the NSIC, while CSP dropped to 5-5 overall and 1-3 in the conference.
The Golden Bears controlled the first quarter taking a 19-point lead on two occasions finally settling for a 27-10 lead after the first ten minutes. UIU scored 7 of their 10 first quarter points at the charity stripe while only converting one field goal, a three-pointer from
Sam Ofstad.
In the second quarter, the Peacocks turned the table on Concordia-St. Paul. Upper Iowa knocked down their first four shots of the frame including a three-pointer and layup from
Aleesha Cleaver. The quick 9-2 run cut the margin to 10 points, 29-19, and took less than two minutes off the clock. With a minute left in the first half, the Golden Bears had pushed the lead back to 43-29, but UIU once again put the final points on the scoreboard with a trifecta from Cleaver with 4 seconds to play. The big hit pulled the Peacocks within striking distance, 44-34.
Upper Iowa repeated their strong start from the second quarter in the third with a 12-3 run over the first three and a half minutes to pull within one point, 47-46. The second big run was fueled by scores from four different players including the final five out of the right hand of
Madi Meier. Two minutes later Meier converted a pair of free throws to give Upper Iowa their second lead of the game, 50-49, and first advantage since the first minute of the contest.
A 9-1 run by the home team stole the momentum away from the Peacocks and gave the Golden Bears a 58-51 lead, but UIU once again marked the scoreboard last in the quarter. A three-pointer by
Brooklyn Schamens with just under a minute to play cut the gap to four, 58-54, heading to the final quarter.
With six minutes to play, Concordia held a 64-62 lead after UIU's
Karlee Grabau put in a layup, but both offenses went quiet over the next three minutes.
Carly Pagel broke the silence with a bucket to tie the score at 64-64 with a little over three minutes to play. With the score tied at 66-66, Ofstad hit a jump shot for the team's third and largest lead of the game, 68-66, with a minute and a half to play.
After a Golden Bear turnover, Ofstad converted one of two free throws to give the Peacocks a three-point lead with 36 seconds on the clock. The home team wasted little time answering with a layup to pull within one, but Cleaver reestablished the visitor's three-point lead, 71-68, with a pair of free throws. Concordia's final three-point attempt missed and UIU secured the rebound to complete the comeback and earn the victory.
UIU finished the game with 22 makes on their 28 free throw attempts, while CSP struggled to hit 13 of their 24 opportunities. The Peacocks also made half of their three-point attempts (7-14), while the Golden Bears only converted 5 of their 19 long balls.
Concordia was led by Lauren Shifflett, who netted 18 points, and Anna Schmitt, who added 12. Kyrah Fredenburg scored 7 and pulled down a game-high 9 rebounds.
Upper Iowa got 17 points from
Whitney Kieffer, who went 10 for 10 at the free throw line, and Cleaver, who knocked down three trifectas. Pagel added 11 points, while Ofstad chipped in 8. Pagel and Kieffer both grabbed 5 boards. Kieffer handed 5 assists and recorded 4 steals.
The Peacocks have just one game left before the end of the calendar year. Upper Iowa will face the #11 Warriors of Winona State University in Winona, Minn. on Saturday, Dec. 19, at 2 p.m. WSU defeated UIU 83-58 to open the conference season on Nov. 28 in Fayette.
