The Upper Iowa men's basketball team will play their final game before the holiday break on Wednesday, taking on the #15 Missouri Southern State Lions at Noon in Joplin, Missouri. The Peacocks will try to improve their 5-5 record while the Lions hope to rise higher in the national rankings and build on their 9-1 start.

The Peacocks are coming off an impressive weekend, picking up a pair of wins against NSIC opponents Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota State. After the 89-73 victory against the Golden Bears and the 80-74 win over the Mavericks, the Peacocks brought their conference record to 2-3.

On Friday, the Peacocks rode a pair of 20-point performances from Chris Olson and Jackson Joens to pick up their first conference victory of the year.  Upper Iowa had found their stroke from beyond the arc, knocking down 15 deep shots to help them top Concordia-St.Paul 89-73. Freshman Jackson Joens went 9-11 from the floor including 6-8 from beyond the arc to finish with a season-high 24 points. Olson contributed four three-pointers on his way to his second 20-point performance of the year.

Saturday's matchup against Minnesota State saw the third 20-point game by a Peacock in two games, this time at the hands of Jareese Williams. For the third time this season, Williams eclipsed the 20-point mark as helped lift the Peacocks over the Mavericks 80-74. While Williams recorded 15 of his 22 points in the first half, the Peacocks turned to Joe Smoldt to lead the offense in the second half. Smoldt hit four threes and recorded 15 points in the second half.

The Peacocks are welcoming the emergence of Jareese Williams as a starter and impact player this season. After spending last season as a role player off the bench, Williams has made the most of his minutes as a starter and become Upper Iowa's leading scorer. In addition to being the Peacocks' top scorer, Williams has established himself as one of UIU's top three-point shooters. Williams sits third on the roster with a .431 three-point percentage behind Chris Olson (.571) and Kyle Haber (.485) and trails only Smoldt (26) with 25 three-pointers.  

About the Opponents…

#15 Missouri Southern State Lions… Missouri Southern has had a strong start to the season, posting a 9-1 record and earning a number 15 spot in the national rankings. The Lions' lone loss of the season came at the hands of the NSIC's #18 St. Cloud State. Coming into Wednesday's matchup with the Peacocks, the Lions have one of DII's most dangerous scorers in Cam Martin. Through the first ten games, Martin is averaging 23.1 points per game, which places him in the top 15 DII scorers. Martin has also posted a .726 field goal percentage, good enough for third best in the nation. In addition to Martin, the Lions feature two other players who are averaging 15 points or more this season, Kinzer Lambert (18.9) and Elyjah Clark (15.6), are supporting Cam Martin's impressive season on the offensive side of the ball.
Wednesday's matchup against Missouri Southern can be viewed at UIUpeacocks.com/live with a live stats option available.

Wednesday's matchup against Missouri Southern can be viewed at UIUpeacocks.com/live with a live stats option available.