The Upper Iowa men's basketball team took on the No. 6 Bearcats of Northwest Missouri State on Friday afternoon, and ran into a stifling defense in the season opener. The Peacocks dropped an 87-52 decision to NMSU on day one of the 25th annual Hillyard Tip-Off Classic at the MWSU Fieldhouse in St. Joseph, Mo. The Bearcats jumped out to a big lead and never looked back, holding a 46-22 advantage at halftime. UIU was held to 32% shooting in the first period, and drops to 0-1 on the season.
Northwest Missouri State, a team Upper Iowa upset a year ago 76-72 at this tournament, scored the first five points of the game and shot 48% from the field in the first half. Justin Pitts was tough to stop in the first 20 minutes, scoring 22 of the 46 points. Pitts converted 7-11 field goals, while the rest of the team went just 9-22. The three-point shooting was a difference in the first frame, as NMSU went 9-17 from behind the arc, while the Peacocks shot just 1-6.
Kam Rowan, a junior transfer from Des Moines Area Community College, scored a team-high eight points in just nine first-half minutes coming off the bench. Anthony Woods hit a three-pointer for the Bearcats with 1:43 remaining to cap off the first half, giving NMSU its largest lead at 24.
The second half is something Upper Iowa will look to build on as they move forward. Even though the Northwest Missouri State outscored UIU 41-30, the Peacocks shot the ball effectively from the field. Upper Iowa converted 11-17 shots (64%) from the field, including 3-6 from the three-point line. Senior
Josh Weeber led the way in the second half with 7 points, and was one of the three Peacocks to hit from distance in the period. Rowan and
Dennis Austin III also hit trifectas and tried to keep UIU in the game. Unfortunately, turnovers played a factor in the final 20 minutes. Upper Iowa, who turned it over 8 times in the first half, commited 12 in the second and Northwest Missouri State took advantage. The Bearcats scored 18 points off turnovers in the second frame to push the lead out to 29, 71-42. NMSU held a 33-point lead with 6:30 remaining that they would not relinquish.
Upper Iowa used a total of 12 players in the season opener. Rowan led the way with 11 points in 23 minutes off the bench, while junior
Carson Parker finished with 8 points and 4 boards. The Peacock leading rebounder was Austin III with 5, and he also scored 5 points in a starting role.
Jordan Hay, a redshirt senior coming off an injury, saw 23 minutes on the floor and finished 7 points and 4 rebounds himself. Upper Iowa as a team shot 19-42 from the field (45%) and 4-12 (33%) from behind the arc. Northwest Missouri State converted 52% from the field (32-61), including 50% from distance (14-28). Pitts finished with 31 points, 4 assists, and 4 steals.
The Peacocks will look to bounce back on Sunday afternoon when they square off with the host school Missouri Western State on Sunday afternoon. The game will tip off at 3 p.m., and will have a live stats option. The game will also be broadcast online on a pay-per-view webcast, which is available
here.
