THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK WOMEN'S HOOPS... Upper Iowa returns to Fayette this weekend for a pair of Northern Sun Conference home games. The Peacocks will look to snap their current five-game skid when the Golden Bears of Concordia University, St. Paul visit Dorman Gym on Friday night at 6 p.m. UIU will then line up against the Mavericks of Minnesota State University, Mankato late on Satruday afternoon at 4 p.m. 
 
LAST YEAR AGAINST THE GOLDEN BEARS AND MAVERICKS... The Peacocks split a pair of games against the Golden Bears thanks to a 51-43 victory in Fayette. Upper Iowa dropped a 60-57 loss in St. Paul, Minn. early in the 2016-17 season. UIU lost both games to Minnesota State last season with a 65-48 defeat at home and a 74-63 decision in Makato, Minn.
 
UIU LEADERS IN THE NSIC... Blair Klostermann leads the Peacocks in scoring and free throw percentage. The junior guard is raned 27th in scoring in the Northern Sun with 11.8 points per game and 11th in free throw percentage with a conversion rate of 87.2%.Haley Martin is leading Upper Iowa's effort on the glass; the sophomore is pulling down the ninth-most rebounds per game at 8.8 including a NSIC, second-best mark of 7.4 defensive boards a game. Ashley Rosenstiel ranks ninth in the NSIC in steals. The senior pick-pocket is nabbing 1.5 thefts per game and adding 2.4 offensive rebounds per game. Her work to keep possessions alive on the glass ranks 11th in the conference. Freshman guard Natalie Dinius leads the team in three-pointers made per game with 2.2 and is ranked 5th among all Northern Sun shooters.
 
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN BEARS… The Golden Bears (2-5, 0-2 NSIC) are coming off their first weekend of conference play where they fell to both the Augustana Vikings (72-50) and the Wayne State Wildcats (79-62) to close out their six-game homestand. Ellie Gess had back-to-back career-high nights, as she was Friday's top scorer with a career-high 16 points and then scored 17 the following day. The freshman shot an impressive 53.3% (8-15) from behind the arc and 48.0% (12-25) from the field throughout the two games. Anna Schmitt continued her solid offensive play, averaging 19.0 points and 4.0 assists per game. The Waconia native still paces the conference in scoring, averaging 24.1 points per game, which ranks sixth nationally.
 
SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS... Minnesota State (1-6, 0-2 NSIC) enters the week on a two-game losing skid. The Mavericks fell to Wayne State, 81-69, last weekend before dropping an 80-55 decision to Augustana. Senior Claire Ziegler leads Minnesota State with a team-best 10.4 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per contest. Senior Logan Anderson is also registering double digits in scoring with 10.3 points per game. Junior Monica Muth has handed out a team-high 15 assists this season and adds 7.6 points per contest.