The Upper Iowa women's basketball team was tripped up by a strong Cougars' defense on Friday night as the Peacocks fell to the University of Sioux Falls 65-39. Sioux Falls held the Peacocks to their fewest made field goals since the second game of the season while forcing 24 turnovers to claim a Northern Sun victory on the road. USF improved to 13-6 (8-5 NSIC) and UIU fell to 3-18 (0-13).
The Peacocks hurried out to a 5-4 lead thanks to back-to-back makes by
Laker Ward and
Bekka Pierson, but the Cougars outscored Upper Iowa 22-4 over the next 16 minutes as the huge run extended late into the second period. The Peacocks were held without a basket and went 4-for-6 at the line during the stretch.
Haley Martin ended the drought with a jumper at the 1:42 tick and
Claudia Morente added a pair of free throws as UIU trailed 31-13 going into the locker room.
USF opened the 3
rd quarter on a 5-0 spurt but the Peacocks fought back with an 11-9 run to close out the period. UIU saw five buckets from as many Peacocks in the stanza. The Cougars kicked off the final frame with a 12-4 run that once again held the Peacocks without a field goal to reach their largest lead of the night, 57-28, with 6:27 left in the game. Upper Iowa ended the game on a good note outscoring the guests 11-8.
Erica Armstrong led the final effort with four points and two boards as the Peacocks shot 4-for-6 as a team.
Both teams struggled to hold onto the ball during the game but the difference maker was what happened after the takeaways. USF was able to score 17 points off UIU's 24 turnovers – including 13 off 14 in the first half – while UIU only scored nine off USF's 17 giveaways. The Cougars outrebounded the Peacocks 39-31.
The Peacocks were led by Pierson with nine points and Armstrong with five rebounds. Ward converted UIU's only two 3-pointers for six points and Morente chipped in six of her own.
Lauren Sanders and Kaely Hummel each scored nine to lead USF's scoring while Anna Goodhope hauled in 10 boards to lead the rebounding.
Upper Iowa will welcome the Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs to Dorman Gymnasium on Saturday for a 3:30 tip-off.
