GAME TWENTY-FIVE
AT CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL
GANGELHOFF CENTER || ST. PAUL, MINN.
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 13, 2015 || 8:00 PM 
LIVE STATS || LIVE VIDEO 

GAME TWENTY-SIX
AT MINNESOTA STATE
TAYLOR CENTER || MANKATO, MINN.
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 14, 2015 || 6:00 PM
LIVE STATS || LIVE VIDEO
WEEKLY NOTES

UPPER IOWA || CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL || MINNESOTA STATE || NORTHERN SUN 
THIS WEEKEND IN MEN'S BASKETBALL
 
The Peacocks (14-10, 10-8 NSIC) prepare for the final road weekend of the season as they will take on the Golden Bears of Concordia-St. Paul on Friday and the Mavericks of Minnesota State on Saturday. The Golden Bears are 15-9 so far this season with an 11-7 mark in conference. The Mavericks check in at 19-5 overall and 14-4 in NSIC play.

KEY NOTES TO CONSIDER
 
1     REBOUNDING FROM A LOSS: The Peacocks have responded well following a loss this season, having dropped back-to-back games just once all year. In the game after a loss, UIU is 8-1, including wins over Sioux Falls, Concordia-St. Paul, Winona State and Wayne State by more than 10 points. 

2     BOOST OFF THE BENCH: Upper Iowa ranks third in the NSIC in scoring at 82.6 points, with over 40% of those points coming from off the bench. UIU continued its dominance in bench scoring over the last weekend, combining to outscore Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State 75 to 38. The weekend helped stretch the Peacocks bench scoring margin for the season (854-617), averaging 35.6 bench points per game compared to 25.7 for their opponents.
 
3     FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: UIU is 7-2 when playing on Friday's this season compared to just 7-8 on all other days of the week. The Peacocks have won on the last five Fridays, including two overtime games against SMSU (Jan. 9, 105-103) and Minot State (Jan 16, 107-101). 

4     SHOOTING FOR PERFECTION: Upper Iowa has been impressive this season when shooting the ball well. In fact, the Peacocks are 4-0 this year when shooting above 50% for the game and 12-0 when shooting a better percentage than their opponents. 
 

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THE SERIES...

VS CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL: (9-13) - The Peacocks broke out a slump against the Golden Bears, beating CU in Dorman Gym on 86-74 on Dec. 13. Prior to that, UIU had lost four straight in Fayette and six of the last eight against Concordia-St. Paul.

VS MINNESOTA STATE: (1-16) - UIU fell to the Mavericks earlier this season in Fayette 89-78. The lone win in the series for the Peacocks came in 2012 when Upper Iowa hit a layup with 0.4 seconds remaining to steal a 61-60 win in Mankato, Minn. 

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ABOUT THE OPPONENTS... 

CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL: The Golden Bears are 15-9 overall this season and 11-7 in the NSIC. After Upper Iowa beat Concordia on Dec. 13, CU was 5-5. The Golden Bears then rattled off wins in eight of nine games to bounce back to the upper echelon of the NSIC South. Concordia-St. Paul has three players who averaged scoring in double digits, led by junior guard Cole Olstad at 13.6 ppg. Redshirt freshman forward Nuni Omot averages 11.8 points and a team-high 5.8 rebounds per game, while senior guard Terez VanPelt, who finished as one of the top scorers in the NSIC last season, is averaging 11 points per game this year. Concordia-St. Paul ranks tenth in the conference in offense at 72.8 points per game, but is second in defense, allowing just 68.2 points per game.

MINNESOTA STATE: The Mavericks are 19-4 and 14-4 in conference and are currently receiving votes in the NABC national poll. MSU's four losses this season have come by two points, one point, four points and an eleven point game that was decided in overtime. Minnesota State features two of the conference's top players in seniors Assem Marei and Zach Monaghan. Marei is second in the NSIC in scoring at 19 points per game and leads the conference in rebounding at 8.3 per game. Monaghan is currently 10th in the Northern Sun in scoring at 14.8 points per game and tops in the NSIC in assists, averaging 8.4 per game.