THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK WOMEN'S HOOPS... Upper Iowa will round out a four-game home stand when they host St. Cloud State University on Friday and the University of Minnesota Duluth on Saturday. The Huskies and Bulldogs are currently tied for third in the NSIC North Division thanks to 6-3 marks against conference opponents. Defense is the strength of both squads. SCSU is second in the NSIC in points allowed per game at 54.2, while UMD is third in the conference allowing just 59.2 points per game to their opponents.
DON'T BE LATE FOR "DIN"-NER… Freshman Natalie Dinius has used the three-point arc to average 9.7 points a contest. The Peacock guard has converted a team-high 32 trifectas and is shooting 36% from behind the arc. Her season-high of 17 points on five three-pointers came against the Golden Eagles of the University of Minnesota Crookston on Dec. 31. Dinius has hit double-digit points in 9 of UIU's 16 games.
PEANUT BUTTER – "GEL"-LY TIME… Senior forward Angelica De Paulo is third on the team in scoring with 8.3 points per game since returning from injury early in the season. De Paulo has scored over 20 points twice including a season-high of 22 points against Concordia University, St. Paul on Dec. 8 at home.
COMING UP "ROSE"-S… Redshirt junior Ashely Rosenstiel is pacing the team in both assists per game (1.9) and steals per game (1.6), while scoring 6.5 points and grabbing 4.5 rebounds. The Oelwein native also leads the team in field goal percent knocking down 42.9% of her shots. Her season-high of 15 points and 8 rebounds came at Quincy University on Nov. 18.
LAST TIME OUT… UIU dropped a pair of home games last weekend against the University of Sioux Falls on Friday, 60-46, and Southwest Minnesota State University, 80-57. The Peacocks were led by De Paulo over the weekend with a 12.5 point average last weekend thanks to 21 points against USF. Emma Gaber led Upper Iowa on Saturday with 14 points and Rosenstiel chipped in 10 versus SMSU. On the glass, Haley Martin pulled down 5.5 rebounds per game for the weekend, while Rosenstiel and Bekka Pierson grabbed 4.5.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES… St. Cloud State is currently riding a season-high, three-game win streak. SCSU defeated BSU 83-51 on Friday before a 70-54 victory over UMC on Saturday. Andrea Thomas scored 21 points and Tori Wortz netted 17 points against Bemidji State on Friday night. SCSU is 7-2 when Wortz reaches double-digit scoring this season. Madelin Dammann is coming off a career-high of 21 points versus Minnesota Crookston on Saturday.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS… Minnesota Duluth is coming off a weekend sweep of Minnesota Crookston (73-65) and Bemidji State (66-61). UMD is 6-0 at home for the first time since 2013; however, the Bulldogs are 3-4 away from Romano Gymnasium. Sammy Kozlowski averaged 17 points last weekend, including a 20-point performance versus UMC, which tied her season-high. Katie Stark also scored a career-high of 16 points during the victory over the Beavers. Sarah Grow posted her fourth double-double of the season against BSU with 10 points and 10 boards.
