THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK MEN'S BASKETBALL…
Upper Iowa (6-5, 0-3 NSIC) will be back inside Dorman Gymnasium in Fayette as they host their first NSIC weekend of the season. The Peacocks will meet the Golden Bears of Concordia University, St. Paul on Friday, Dec. 8 at 8 p.m. before hosting the Mavericks of Minnesota State University on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 6 p.m. The games will both be webcast as usual on UIU TV, and Friday's game can be seen in eastern Iowa on KCRG 9.3, while Saturday's contest can be seen on KCRG 9.2.
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PEACOCK STORYLINES...
TOUGH WEEKEND: The Peacocks dropped a pair of games on the road last week in their first full conference weekend of the year. UIU fell 93-86 at the hands of Southwest Minnesota State despite a late comeback in Marshall. Upper Iowa then had a hard time slowing down Sioux Falls on Saturday as they allowed 60 second-half points in a 90-78 defeat in Sioux Falls, S.D. The team will look to get back on track this weekend as they seek their first NSIC win of the season.
HE DID IT AGAIN: There has not been a defense this season that has found a way to stop senior
Carson Parker. The New Hartford, Iowa native added two more 20-point games to his rèsumè this past weekend, as he scored 20 against SMSU and 27 against USF. The point guard now has four 20-point games this season, and 10 for his career. Parker is averaging 17.7 points per game, which ranks 10th in the NSIC, and has scored in double figures all but once this season.
HALFTIME: Halftime has been key for Upper Iowa so far this season. When the team leads after 20 minutes, they are 4-1 this season. If UIU trials at the halftime strategy session, the team is 2-4 so far. UIU has not been tied with any opponents halfway through any game this season, and suffered its first loss this year when leading at the break on Saturday at Sioux Falls.
LEADING THE WAY: Parker leads the way is most statistical categories this season for the Peacocks, including points per game (17.7), field goals made (66), total assists (67), and assists per game (6.1). The team has three players averaging double figures, including
Dennis Austin III (13.2 PPG), and freshman
Joe Smoldt (11.8 PPG). Smoldt has scored in double figures in eight straight games, and leads the team with 30 three-point field goals made.
Munachiso Okonkwo is averaging a team-best 7.5 rebounds per game, and has notched four double-doubles this season. His 83 rebounds are an NSIC-best, and his 19 blocks rank second in the league.
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THE SERIES…
vs. CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL: Upper Iowa trails the all-time series 14-13, but the Peacocks have won five of the last six in the series including a pair of wins last season against the Golden Bears.
vs. MINNESOTA STATE: The Peacocks trail the series 20-4, with three of the four wins coming last season. UIU's first-ever win over MSU came back in 2012 when the team upset the then-#20 Mavericks on a last-second shot. Last season, UIU earned an 82-77 win in Mankato, and 83-73 overtime win in Fayette, and a 63-55 win in the semifinals of the conference tournament.
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ABOUT THE OPPONENTS…
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vs. CSP GOLDEN BEARS: Concordia-St. Paul (1-7, 0-2 NSIC) are in the midst of a five-game losing streak, and were held below 60 points in each of their first two conference games as they fell to Augustana and Wayne State at Gangelhoff Center last weekend. CSP held a 14-point lead with 12:22 to play over the Vikings on Friday night before Augie closed out the game on a 40-7 run to earn the win. The Golden Bears limited their opponents to 44.8% from the floor over the two games, but managed to hit just 38.2% themselves in the losses.
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vs. MSU MAVERICKS: Minnesota State (5-2, 2-0 NSIC) ended a five-game losing streak to Augustana with its 90-78 victory on Friday before topping Wayne State on Saturday. MSU averaged 88 points and 35 rebounds a game last weekend, and shot 53.6% from the field, including a 23-of-41 (.561) showing from behind the arc. Three Mavericks averaged at least 15 points a game last weekend, including sophomore Kevin Krieger averaged 21.5 points per game.
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