The Upper Iowa men's basketball team will take the floor at Dorman Gym for the first time in 2018 Friday evening when they take on the Quincy University Hawks. Friday night's tip-off against the Hawks is scheduled for 7pm.

The Peacocks are returning to Dorman after opening the season with two games at the Hillyard Tip-Off Classic in St. Joseph, Missouri. Upper Iowa kicked things off on Friday against the #5 Northwest Missouri State Bearcats. Joe Smoldt put up 17 points in the matchup against the #5 Bearcats but that wasn't enough as the Peacocks were unable to pull off the upset, falling to Northwest Missouri 59-76. The second match of year didn't end any better as the Peacocks dropped to the Griffons of Missouri Western State 67-76 on Saturday night.

Last year's NSIC Freshman of the Year, Joe Smoldt, has gotten off to a hot start in his sophomore campaign. In the first two games of the year, Smoldt has already put up 39 points thanks to his fourth 20-point performance of his career when he put up 22 against the Griffons. Smoldt is also leading the Peacocks in minutes played, being on the floor for all but 7 minutes so far this year.

Peacock big man Munachiso Okonkwo has turned in two solid performances of his own to start 2018. In his first two games, Mu is averaging 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. In the matchup against the Griffons, Mu recorded his fifth career double-double when he put up 15 points and hauled in 12 boards.

When kicking things off at Dorman Gym, the Peacocks have had mixed results going 5-5 in their last 10 home openers. However, Upper Iowa has struggled in recent home openers, going 0-3 over the last three seasons. A streak they hope to end on Friday against Quincy.

About the Opponents…

The Quincy University Hawks have started the 2018 campaign with a 1-1 record and will be coming to Fayette following a loss to Findlay on Saturday. In their first two games, the Hawks have outscored opponents 155-144. The Quincy offense is led by a trio of Hawks who are averaging 10 or more points per game through their first two games. The Hawks' leading scorer is Marcus Hinton at 17 points per game, followed by Demetrius Houston who is averaging 15, and then Ryan Briscoe with 12 points per game. Jah-Kobe Womack is the leading rebounder for the Hawks, pulling in 7.5 boards per game.

The Peacocks have had success against Quincy, taking two of the last three from the Hawks. Last season, the Peacocks topped the Hawks by a 22-point margin where Upper Iowa's offense was powered by Peghuentz Pericles, Joe Smoldt, and Munachiso Okonkwo, all hitting double digits to help give the Peacocks the win.