The Peacocks evened their record at 2-2 with a 70-63 victory over McKendree University in their first game of the Subway Classic hosted by Quincy University in Quincy, Ill. Upper Iowa knocked down 11 three-pointers and held on late to post their second straight victory. 
 
Natalie Dinius led the Peacocks in scoring with 15 points thanks to four three-pointers. Haley Martin scored 14 with three made trifectas, while Ashley Rosenstiel scored 13 on a pair of threes and Blair Klostermann netted 12 points. Courtney Schnoor chipped in 7 points off the bench. On the glass, UIU was led by Martin's 12, for her first double-double of the season.
 
The Bearcats jumped out to an early 9-2 lead, but the Peacocks began to chip away at the margin. UIU cut the gap to three points on two occasions, but when the buzzer sounded McKendree found themselves ahead by four points, 18-14. Upper Iowa continued to trail in the second quarter, but stayed within one or two scores of McKendree. The Peacocks tied the game at 30-30 when Martin netted a layup with just over 2 minutes to play. After the Bearcats retook their two-point advantage, Ashley Ray gave Upper Iowa their first lead of the game at the halftime buzzer to put UIU ahead 33-32.
 
The Peacocks took control of the third quarter. After taking a slim lead over McKendree at half, the Peacocks controlled the pace of play and outscored the Bearcats 15-6 through the first eight and a half minutes of the period. A Dinius three-pointer capped off the scoring for Upper Iowa in the quarter, but McKendree was able to rally with two straight buckets cutting the gap back to six.
 
UIU opened the fourth quarter in the same manner as the third thanks to a 10-3 run. During the run, Upper Iowa converted three triples from behind the arc out of the right hands of Klostermann, Dinius and Martin. The Bearcats took one last run at the Peacocks down the stretch. After Martin's three-pointer put UIU ahead by thirteen, the Bearcats defense tightened up and the offense began to get the ball in the paint. McKendree cut the deficit from 13 to 3 over a four-minute span. UIU committed three big turnovers that fueled the Bearcat run. McKendree would not get any closer though as Upper Iowa converted seven of their final eight free throws, including 4 from Rosenstiel, to preserve the win 70-63. 
 
Upper Iowa will wrap up their run at the Subway Classic when they face off against Quincy on Saturday at 3 p.m.