Bekka Pierson led all scoring with 19 points but it wasn't enough to get the Peacocks past the Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs who hurried out to a double-digit lead and never looked back for an 89-57 NSIC victory. SMSU is now 9-10 overall and 6-8 in the conference while Upper Iowa sits at 3-19 and 0-14 against Northern Sun opponents.

Pierson went 8-for-12 from the floor, including 6-for-8 in the second half, to record a career-high 19 points during the contest. While Pierson paced the offense in the final 20 minutes, Emma Gaber was the driving force in the first half. The sophomore shot 5-for-8 in the opening quarters and knocked down the Peacocks lone triple of the match for 13 points. For the second night in a row, Erica Armstrong was UIU's lead rebounder as she hauled in six boards to go with four points, two assists and a block. Haley Martin chipped in nine points and five rebounds.

Upper Iowa shot 41.2 percent from the floor but struggled behind the arc and at the line. The Peacocks were held to one of six attempts from downtown and converted just 14 of 27 tries from the free throw line. On the other end of the court, SMSU shot 43.7 percent overall, 37.0 percent from deep, and 89.5 percent from the stripe.

The Mustangs found their groove quick and early on Saturday afternoon as they jumped out to a 12-0 lead and led by as many as 10 the rest of the way. The Peacocks accumulated 22 points in a solid second quarter and outscored the Mustangs 12-9 in the final frame but UIU was never able to recover from the early deficit.

Meleah Reinhart's 18 points, Sadie Stelter's 16, and Abuk Akoi's double-double of 15 points and 10 boards paved the way for the Mustangs. Sara Teske added eight boards and Caleigh Rodning dished out five assists.

Upper Iowa will hit the road once more for a duo of Northern Sun matchups in Minnesota. The Peacocks will face St. Cloud State University on Friday evening at 5:30 p.m. and the University of Minnesota Duluth on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 3:30 p.m.