THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK MEN'S BASKETBALL…
The Peacocks (16-8, 13-5Â NSIC) will return to Fayette for their final home weekend of the regular season as they host a pair of NSIC South opponents. Upper Iowa will battle the Minnesota State Mavericks on Friday night at 8 p.m. before hosting the Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears for Senior Day on Saturday at 6 p.m. Both games will be available online on UIU TV and in eastern Iowa on KCRG TV 9.3 (Friday) and 9.2 (Saturday).
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| GAME TWENTY-FIVE |
GAME TWENTY-SIX |
| MINNESOTA STATE |
CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL |
| DORMAN GYMNASIUM |
DORMAN GYMNASIUM |
| FAYETTE, IOWA |
FAYETTE, IOWA |
| FRIDAY, FEB. 10 || 8 PM || KCRG TV 9.2 |
SATURDAY, FEB. 11 || 6Â PM |
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PEACOCK STORYLINES...
BOUNCING BACK: The Peacocks suffered their first losing weekend of the conference season after dropping a pair of road games at Northern State and MSU Moorhead. UIU converted just 39% from the field on Friday at NSU, but were in the game all the way til the end. Saturday's game at MSUM featured 13 ties, 13 lead changes, 23 three-pointers, and 178 combined points, but UIU dropped at the end, 93-84.
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STANDING SECOND: Upper Iowa is currently in second place in the NSIC South division standings after the losses last weekend. UIU is one game behind Southwest Minnesota State for first place. The Peacocks have two wins over the Mustangs this season and would hold the tie-breaker if the teams were to finish with the same conference record.
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CAREER POINTS WATCH: The Peacocks are already playing with two members of the 1,000-point club in seniors
Jimmy Roth and
Josh Weeber. Senior
Luke Lenhart is looking to join his teammates; the Storm Lake, Iowa native is 49 points away from 1,000 with five games remaining. Redshirt senior
Jordan Hay and junior
Carson Parker have totaled at least 800 career points as well.
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"HANNA"-BARBERA TELEVISION COMPANY: Senior
Jace Hanna has been must-see television as a defender in the Peacock lineup over his four years with the program. Even though he has battled injuries the last two seasons, the Shueyville, Iowa product has still found a way to play in 90 games in his career and make 43 starts. Hanna has scored 418 points and and brought down 273 rebounds. Hanna is known for his defensive abilities, and has been one of the most consistent defenders in the NSIC over his four-year career. He has totaled 62 steals and 214 defensive boards in his career.
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GOING "HAY"WIRE: Opposing teams have gone haywire trying to figure out
Jordan Hay over the years. The redshirt senior has played in 117 games in his outstanding career, making 29 starts. Hay has scored 862 career points, pulled down 458 rebounds and tallied 90 blocks defensively over the last five years. Hay was a part of the only NCAA Division II tournament team in program history in 2012-13. The Stanwood, Iowa native is averaging 12.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game this season, both career bests after coming back from an injury this season. Hay has totaled 38 double-digit scoring games, with 16 coming this season, including 4 20-point efforts.
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USE THE FORCE, "LUKE": Senior
Luke Lenhart has been one of the biggest spark plugs over the last four seasons at Upper Iowa. Lenhart has played in 108 games, starting in 55 of those contests. The Storm Lake, Iowa native has totaled 951 career points, leaving him 49 away from the illustrious 1,000-point club. Lenhart has provided momentum with his ability to shoot from outside over the years, connecting on 187 triples for a career three-point percentage of 42%. Lenhart has been a stellar foul shooter as well, converting 79% of his free throws over four years. The senior guard has pulled down 266 rebounds and dished out 141 assists. Lenhart has totaled 40 career double-digit scoring games, including four 20-point scoring games as well.
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"JIMMY" BUCKETS: Senior
Jimmy Roth has been a consistent scorer for the Peacocks in his career. Roth has played in 115 games at Upper Iowa, making a team-high 99 starts. The Marion, Iowa product became the 23rd member of the 1,000-point club in the final game of his junior season against MSU Moorhead, and has scored 1,310 points in his career. Roth has totaled 438 rebounds, 101 steals and 44 blocks. The senior guard has hit 112 three-pointers, knocked down 366 foul shots, and handed out 184 assists. Roth has totaled 67 double-digit scoring efforts, including 13 20-point games, and has been a staple in the Peacock lineup.
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"WEEBER" FEVER: Senior
Josh Weeber has given opposing defenses headaches over his four-year career, playing in 116 career games as a Peacock. Weeber has made 71 starts in his career, but has made a move to a bench role over the last season and a half. Weeber has embraced his role, and has provided big moments as a shooter for Upper Iowa. Weeber joined Roth in the 1,000-point club in the game against the Dragons, becoming the 24th member of the club, and has totaled 1,224 career points. The Dubuque, Iowa native has totaled 326 rebounds as well, and has been deadly as a shooter. Weeber has connected on 208 three-pointers and has shot 39% from distance in his career. Weeber is a career 81% foul shooter, as well, and is averaging 10.6 points per game in his four years. The senior has totaled 63 double-digit scoring games including 9 20-point scoring efforts.
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THE SERIES…
vs. MSU MAVERICKS: The Peacocks trail the series 20-2, with both wins coming in Mankato. UIU upset the then-#20 Mavericks on a last-second shot in 2012, and defeated MSU 82-77 earlier this season.
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vs. CSP BEARS: Upper Iowa trails the all-time series 14-12, but the Peacocks have won four of the last five in the series including a win earlier this season in St. Paul, Minn.
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ABOUT THE OPPONENTS…
vs. MINNESOTA STATE: The Mavericks (17-7, 12-6 NSIC) have now won four straight games after defeating Minnesota Duluth (56-51) and St. Cloud State (79-62) at home last weekend. MSU has also won eight of its last 10 games, and is in fourth place in the NSIC South. Senior Jon Fuqua is averaging a team-leading 15.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this season, with Joey Witthus following right behind with 15.4 points and 5.0 rebounds a game. Senior Aarias Austin is adding 11.1 points and 3.2 assists per game as well.
vs. CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL: The Golden Bears (5-20, 2-16 NSIC) shot just 33.9% from the field in a loss to St. Cloud State last Friday, but then snapped their 14-game losing streak on Saturday with a 95-85 win over Minnesota Duluth. CSP is led by Bryndan Matthews, who is averaging 14.9 points per game. Diallo Powell follows with 11.3 points per contest.
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