GAME TWELVE	GAME THIRTEEN
AT MINNESOTA STATE	AT CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL
TAYLOR CENTER	GANGELHOFF CENTER
MANKATO, MINN.	ST. PAUL, MINN.
FRIDAY, DEC. 11 || 8 PM	SATURDAY, DEC. 12 || 6 PM
WEBCAST || LIVE STATS	WEBCAST || LIVE STATS

WEEKLY NOTES

UPPER IOWA || MINNESOTA STATE || CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL || NORTHERN SUN
 

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THIS WEEKEND IN MEN'S BASKETBALL 
 
The Peacocks are looking to bounce back from a weekend sweep when they head to Minnesota this weekend to take on the Mavericks of Minnesota State and the Golden Bears of Concordia-St. Paul. Upper Iowa will head to Mankato, Minn. first to take on the Mavericks on Friday, Dec. 11 at 8 p.m., then on to St. Paul to battle the Golden Bears on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. The game against Concordia will be their Day of Heros game, honoring veterans, as well as a Toys for Tots donation drive. The first 100 fans to donate an item will receive a voucher for one free Jimmy John's sub, redeemable at the location on Snelling Ave. near Concordia's campus.
 
NOTES FROM LAST WEEKEND
 
The Peacocks struggled from the free throw line in Friday night's 85-79 loss to the Sioux Falls Cougars in Dorman Gym. Upper Iowa was 23-of-43 (53.5%) from the line, while the Cougars made 29-of-36 (80.6%). Then on Saturday, UIU saw a 17-point second half lead evaporate as the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs rallied to beat Upper Iowa, 87-81.
 KEY NOTES TO CONSIDER
 
1       A CENTURY IN THE MAKING: Upper Iowa enters its 100th year of men's basketball with the start of the 2015-16 season and third year under the tutelage of Brooks McKowen. The Fairbank, Iowa native was named the 18th head coach in Peacock men's basketball history prior to the 2013-14 season and holds a 38-33 record at UIU.  
 
2       JIMMY OF ALL TRADES: UIU junior Jimmy Roth did a little bit of everything last week, leading UIU in scoring with 17.5 points per game, but added 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. 
 
3       FAST START: When the Peacocks have been tied or lead as they head into the halftime break, UIU is 5-2. When Upper Iowa trails heading into the second half, they haven't been able to recover and are 0-4. 
 
4       HOME DOMINANCE: UIU was beaten in back-to-back home games last weekend for just the second in Head Coach Brooks McKowen's three-year tenure. McKowen is 21-12 (.636) in Dorman Gym.
 THE SERIES
 
vs MINNESOTA STATE: The Peacocks have just one win in 18 meetings with the Mavericks,  but picked up the win in dramatic fashion as Jake Hughes knocked down a game-winning shot with 0.4 seconds left at  MSU in 2012.
 
vs CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL: Upper Iowa trails the Golden Bears 10-13 in the all-time series between the two schools, but the Peacocks have won the last two meetings and three straight at the Gangelhoff Center in St. Paul, Minn.
 ABOUT THE OPPONENT
 
MINNESOTA STATE: The Mavericks went 1-1 on the road this past weekend to open NSIC play as it fell to Augustana 97-68, before topping Wayne State 76-59. MSU now owns a 6-2 overall record, including a 1-1 league record. Junior Mike Busack averaged a team-leading 17.5 points and seven rebounds per game last week, including a 22-point, 10-rebound performance against Wayne State.
 
CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL: The Golden Bears fell in their NSIC openers on the road 84-76 at Wayne State and 104-66 at No. 3 Augustana, and now sit at 2-5 overall and 0-2 in conference. Shea Mandli led the club with 12.5 points while Diallo Powell had 10.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.