THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK WOMEN'S BASKETBALL… Upper Iowa will head to Illinois for a mid-week matchup against McKendree University before the Peacocks welcome the Emmaus Bible College Eagles to Dorman Gym on Saturday, Nov. 17 for their home-opener. Wednesday's game against McKendree is set for 6 p.m. and UIU will tip off against the Eagles at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. The Peacocks lead the all-time series against McKendree 1-0 and will play Emmaus Bible for the first time in program history.
LIVE OPTIONS… Live stats will be available for both contests. Wednesday night's contest can be webcasted on the Bearcat Sports Network with the pre-game show at 5:50 p.m., while Saturday's home opener can be webcasted, broadcasted live on KCRG-TV 9.3, and streamed live through the NSIC channel on Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple or Android TVs. Links for live stats and webcasts are available at UIUPeacocks.com/Live.
A LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEKEND… The Peacocks dropped two games in the 5
th annual MIAA/NSIC Tournament hosted by Fort Hays State University last weekend. Upper Iowa and Missouri Western State University took a 29-all tie into the break but the Peacocks were outscored 38-29 in the second half for the loss. Against Fort Hays State, the Peacocks held a slight edge in shooting percentage but were held to 10 points or less in each quarter. Upper Iowa shot 34.2% from the field and 70.4% at the line over the weekend. UIU's opponents forced 52 Peacock turnovers and collected 45 offensive rebounds between the two contests.
PEACOCK LEADERS… Casey Miles led the Peacocks in scoring last weekend with 21 points. Miles went 6-for-7 from the field and shot 80% at the line.
Haley Martin recorded her second career double-double against Missouri Western State with 10 points and 10 rebounds before adding four more rebounds against Fort Hays State.
Bekka Pierson chipped in 19 points and 14 rebounds between the two contests and
Erica Armstrong pulled down a game-high nine rebounds against FHSU for a weekend total of 10.
UPPER IOWA VERSUS THE OPPONENTS… UIU celebrated a 70-63 victory over McKendree University last November at the Subway Classic hosted by Quincy University. The Peacocks took a 33-32 advantage into the break and withstood a late Bearcat comeback to preserve the win. Upper Iowa converted a season-high 11 three-pointers led by
Natalie Dinius with four. Martin enjoyed a career night in last season's matchup as she recorded 14 points and 12 rebounds. Upper Iowa and Emmaus Bible College are meeting for the first time in program history.
SCOUTING MCKENDREE… The Bearcats opened up the 2018-19 season at the GLVC/GLIAC Crossover Challenge where they defeated Purdue University-Northwest (75-69 OT) but fell to Tiffin University in the final seconds of the game (76-74). Tiffin tied the game at 74-all with 12 seconds left in the game before the Bearcats missed the potential go-ahead shot attempt and the Dragons made two free throws to come away with the win. McKendree is led by Sydney Diekhoff (19.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 4.5 apg), Jordan Heberg (13.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.5 spg), Megan Jensen (13.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.5 apg), and Jordan Morton (10.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.5 spg). Callie Pohlman has handed out 15 assists and is shooting a team-best 42.9% beyond the arc. The Eagles are averaging 74.5 points per game and have outrebounded opponents 97-80 thus far. McKendree was picked 8
th in the 14-team Great Lakes Valley Conference pre-season poll.
SCOUTING EMMAUS BIBLE… Following an 18-15 overall mark in 2017-18, the Eagles have dropped five straight games to open the 2018-19 season. In their most recent contest, the Eagles dropped a 72-68 decision to Kentucky Christian University, which marked EBC's closet scoring margin of the year. The Eagles tied the game at 63-all with 2:25 left in the game but KCU used a 9-5 run to close out the contest. Emmaus Bible averages 55.8 points per game and is shooting 33.2% from the field. The Eagles are led by junior Tiffany Williams (12.6 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 3.4 apg), freshman Riley Harding (10.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.6 apg), and junior Jasmine White (6.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg). Williams has recorded two double-doubles this season. Emmaus Bible is a member of the Midwest Christian College Conference and captured the Conference Tournament Championship in 2016-17 with an unblemished 8-0 conference record. Last year, the Eagles finished runner-up with a 7-1 MCCC record.
LOOKING AHEAD… The Peacocks will head southeast to enjoy Thanksgiving break in a warmer climate as they travel to Puerto Rico for games against University of New Haven (11/22), Universidad del Sagrado Corazon (11/23), and University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras (11/24). Upper Iowa will open NSIC play on Dec. 1 at Winona State University.
