The Upper Iowa women's basketball team came out with a strong first quarter against the University of Sioux Falls scoring 19 in the opening frame, but the Cougars defense tightened and limited the Peacocks to just a pair of 12-point quarters on the way to a 67-58 win over UIU.  The loss dropped UIU to 0-7 overall and 0-3 in the NSIC, while USF improved to 6-1 overall and 2-1 in the conference.
 
With the score tied at 4-4 in the early going, the Peacocks went on an 8-2 run featuring a pair of three-pointers from Haley Martin and Ashley Ray, which bracketed a layup from Carly Pagel. After the Cougars cut into the lead, Pagel and Blair Klostermann scored again to push the advantage back to five points, 16-11, with a little over two minutes to play. Sioux Falls tied the game 16-16, but a three-pointer out of the right hand of Klostermann gave UIU a 19-16 lead at the quarter break.
 
The lead bounced back and forth in the second quarter with each team taking their turn. Upper Iowa still led by one, 29-28, with three and a half minutes to play, but USF closed out the half by outscoring the Peacocks 7-2 to claim a 35-31 lead. The Cougar run was capped off by a Sam Knecht layup at the buzzer.
 
Sioux Falls continued to keep pressure on the Peacocks in the third quarter holding them to just 12 points for the second straight quarter. The home team's defense was up to the challenge and kept UIU in the game holding the Cougars to just 16 points in the frame. As the contest moved to the fourth, USF had doubled their lead from four to eight points, 51-43.
 
The teams exchanged baskets in the fourth quarter as the visitors kept the home team at arm's length over the first five and a half minutes. The Cougars began to expand their lead as the Peacock defense extended looking to turn their guests over. The lead grew to as much as 14, but Upper Iowa cut the final margin back to 67-58 with 5 points to end the game.
 
Klostermann paced UIU's attack with 20 points on 8-10 shooting. The sophomore knocked down a pair of threes and pulled down three rebounds. Martin got her first career start for the Peacocks and made the most of it with 11 points and 4 rebounds, while Pagel netted 10 points.

Upper Iowa committed 22 turnovers in the game which led to 22 points for the Cougars.
 
The Peacocks will be on the road next weekend with a pair of Northern Sun Conference games at Concordia University, St. Paul and Minnesota State University, Mankato on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 9-10. Both games will tip off at 6 p.m.