The Peacocks and the Wolves of Northern State University locked up in a defensive showdown in Fayette on a rare Sunday matinee.  The two teams combined for just 80 points as each defense controlled the pace of play on their half of the court.  The Wolves scored the final four points of the contest breaking a tie and stealing the upset bid from the Peacocks, 42-38.  NSU improved to 10-3 overall and 6-2 in the Northern Sun Conference, while UIU moved to 3-11 overall and 2-6 in the NSIC.
 
The Peacocks and Wolves battled through a defensive first half that saw the lead tie three times and change hands five times.  Northern State had their largest lead, 14-8, after Paige Waytashek knocked in a three-pointer with just under four minutes to play in the first quarter.  The Peacocks closed the quarter on a 5-0 run thanks to a three-pointer from Blake Bergren and a buzzer-beating jumper by Aleesha Cleaver to climb within one point, 14-13, at the period break. 
 
UIU continued their run into the second quarter taking their largest lead, 23-19, with under three minutes to play in the half.  The 15-5 run covered more than ten minutes of game time and was capped off by a Madi Meier triple.  The Wolves took control of the final three minutes with a 7-0 run of their own to take a 26-23 lead into the locker room.  Gabby Laimer knocked down a three-pointer to give the visitors their slim lead at halftime.
 
In the third quarter, NSU's pressure defense and UIU's zone defense continued to control the pace of play.  The Wolves won the quarter 8-6 to extend their lead to five, 34-29, heading into the final quarter.
 
A Meier three-pointer pulled the Peacocks within two, 34-32, early in the fourth quarter, but neither team found the bottom of the basket until the 5:43 mark when Carly Pagel knocked in a pair of free throws, UIU's first opportunities at the charity stripe, to tie the game at 34-34.  Northern State finally broke through the scoring column in the quarter as Jill Conrad pulled down an offensive rebound and scored a layup to break the tie with just over five minutes to play. Conrad, who poured in a game-high 19 points, made it two straight buckets with a jumper in the lane giving the Wolves a 38-34 advantage.
 
Cleaver slimmed the margin to three, 38-35, with a free throw with just over three minutes to play.  Karlee Grabau made it two, 38-36, under the two minute mark and then put in a layup to tie the game, 38-38, with one minute to play. Lauren Deadrick cashed in a layup on the Wolves second offensive rebound with 28 seconds to play giving the visitors a 40-38 lead.  The Peacocks turned the ball over on the ensuing possession and were forced to foul.  Conrad knocked down two free throws to put the Wolves ahead by four as Northern State turned away the Peacocks upset bid, 42-38.
 
Meier led the Peacock scorers with 9 points on three triples, while Kieffer added 8 and Sam Ofstad netted 6.  Cleaver pulled in 9 rebounds and added a block and 2 steals.

Upper Iowa will be on the road next Friday and Saturday, Jan. 8-9.  The Peacocks will take on the Mustangs of Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minn. on Friday and then challenge the Cougars of the University of Sioux Falls in Sioux Falls, S.D. on Saturday.