Upper Iowa dropped a 69-36 decision to the Tigers of Fort Hays State University in the final game of the 5th annual MIAA/NSIC Tournament on Saturday evening in Fort Hays, Kan.
Fort Hays State (2-0) forced the Peacocks (0-2) into 24 turnovers which limited the team's offensive opportunities and resulted in 10 or less points scored by Upper Iowa in each of the four quarters. UIU held a slight edge over FHSU in shooting percentage but was only able to convert 11 field goals and struggled behind the arc, knocking down just 3 of 13 attempts.
FHSU took an early hold of the contest by limiting the Peacocks to 1-for-8 shooting in the opening frame while converting 6-for-23 on the opposite end of the court. Things didn't get too much brighter for UIU in the second quarter as the Tigers outscored the Peacocks 17-9 and increased their turnover margin to 13-3.
Upper Iowa came out of the half with a 8-5 run thanks to a 3-pointer from Natalie Dinius and field goals by Bekka Pierson and Emma Gaber. FHSU didn't let the momentum stay with the Peacocks for long, though, as the Tigers finished the quarter out on a 19-2 run. The deficit grew to as many as 41 points midway through the fourth quarter, 69-28, but the Peacocks closed out the contest on an 8-0 streak highlighted by triples from Gaber and Emily Friesen.
The Tigers claimed a 53-34 advantage on total rebounds and 29-5 in offensive rebounds, allowing the home team to score 29 second chance points compared to UIU's two. Despite the Tigers' extra shooting opportunities, the Peacocks held them to 30% shooting from the floor and 21% behind the arc.
Casey Miles finished atop the Peacock scoring column for the second game in a row with nine points and recorded a team-high three steals. Pierson and Gaber each chipped in eight scores while Erica Armstrong pulled down a game-high nine rebounds.
Four tigers got into double-digit scoring including Lanie Page (17), Whitney Randall (14), Taylor Rolfs (13) and Tatyana Legette (11).
Upper Iowa hosts Emmaus Bible College on Prochaska Court for the Peacock's home opener on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 3:30 p.m.
