THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK WOMEN'S HOOPS… Upper Iowa will close out the 2018 calendar year on Sunday, Dec. 30 when the Peacocks welcome the Winona State University Warriors to Dorman Gymnasium for an NSIC matchup at 2 p.m. UIU is looking to secure its first conference win of the season prior to the new year while WSU will look to bounce back into the winning column after a loss to Concordia University, St. Paul on Dec. 15. Both teams battled in the NSIC opener earlier this season which saw the Warriors pick up a 74-48 victory.
LIVE OPTIONS… Fans who can't make it to the game have several options to follow the action from home or on the go. Upper Iowa will provide a webcast and live stats, which fans can access through the links above or UIUPeacocks.com/Live. The game can be broadcast live on KCRG-TV 9.2 or streamed live on the NSIC Channel on Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple and Android TV's.
SEARCHING FOR A CONFERENCE WIN… The Peacocks are looking to capture their first Northern Sun victory since Feb. 11, 2017. Upper Iowa has struggled to keep conference games within reach this season as the Peacocks have fallen by an average 28.4 points to NSIC opponents. The score differential is mostly a result of the extra possessions UIU's foes receive from forced turnovers and offensive rebounds. Upper Iowa's turnover margin (-8.85) ranks at the bottom of the conference and has allowed NSIC opponents to score an average 20.8 points off turnovers in contests. The Peacocks have also been beaten in the offensive rebound department and rank 16th in the NSIC with a 9.1 average. NSIC opponents have averaged 16.8 offensive rebounds against the Peacocks, which has turned into 15.8 second chance points per game.
GIVE ME FIVE… Natalie Dinius has converted three or more deep shots in eight of UIU's last ten contests. The sophomore has 32 treys this season, which is the most in the Northern Sun Conference. Dinius averages 2.5 triples per contest (2nd NSIC) and needs 19 more 3-pointers to match her 2017-18 season total that finished 6th in the NSIC.
SEASON STAT LEADERS… Team leader in italics
- Natalie Dinius – 10.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 5 steals, 34.8% 3FG
- Savannah Domeyer – 9.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 21 blocks, 8 steals, 52.6% FG
- Bekka Pierson – 8.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 7 blocks, 1 steal, 47.6% FG
- Emma Gaber – 7.2 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.7 apg, 9 steals, 32.3% 3FG
- Casey Miles – 4.8 ppg, 2.2 apg, 10 steals, 42.4% FG
- Haley Martin – 5.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 5 blocks, 7 steals, 36.8% FG
- Ally Fink - 3.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 6 blocks, 48.7% FG
- Marina Peinado - 1.5 ppg, 2.6 apg, 13 steals
SCOUTING THE WARRIORS… Winona State (5-4, 3-2 NSIC) is coming off a split in its last weekend of competition against Minnesota State University, Mankato (W, 79-69 OT2) and Concordia University, St. Paul (L, 53-49). The Warriors are led by Allie Pickrain (11.9 ppg, 2.9 apg), Rachel Novotny (11.4 ppg, 7.1 rpg), Gable Doud (11.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg), and Kayla Schaefer (10.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg). Novotny is shooting 68.5 percent from the field (1st NSIC), averages 2.8 offensive boards per game (3rd NSIC), and blocks 1.7 shots per game (4th NSIC). Pickrain averages 2.4 shots from deep (5th NSIC) and 1.7 assists per game (10 NSIC). Winona State averages 63.6 points per game on 38.0 percent shooting.
UP NEXT… Upper Iowa will open 2019 play with games against Northern State University on Friday, Jan. 4 at 5:30 p.m. and Minnesota State University Moorhead on Saturday, Jan. 5 at 3:30 p.m. Both games will be take place in Dorman Gymnasium.
