The Upper Iowa women's basketball team hosted McKendree University on Wednesday evening for the 2019-20 home opener in Dorman Gymnasium. The Peacocks went into the final 10 minutes with an 8-point lead but the Bearcats rallied to outscore the home team 24-11 in the fourth quarter to steal a 61-56 victory in Fayette. McKendree improved to 3-0 with the win, while Upper Iowa fell to 0-3.
Upper Iowa won the defensive battle in the first half that saw low scoring by both sides as well as 17 of the game's 22 turnovers. The Peacock offense made 34.6 percent of their shots to tally 10 points in the first and 13 in the second, while the UIU defense held McKendree to just 16 points on 17.2 percent shooting from the field.
Brooke Evenson led the team with eight points in the half and
Megan Peterson chipped in seven.
In the third frame, the Peacocks were able to extend their lead out to the largest of the night at 38-27 with 3:08 left in the leg. The Bearcats clawed their way back to within one, 38-37, with a 10-0 run but four points from
Bekka Pierson and a 3-pointer from
Natalie Dinius ended the frame with the Peacocks leading 45-37.
The McKendree defense was able to shut down the Peacock offense for most of the fourth quarter as the Bearcats held the home team to just two baskets in the first 8:07 while putting up 17 points of their own to take the lead and more. Peterson and Pierson each scored to cut the deficit to two, 55-53, with 23 seconds to go but McKendree made all six of their free throws down the stretch to secure the 61-56 road win.
TURNING POINT… After maintaining the advantage for the majority of the game, the Peacocks surrendered a 17-4 run in the fourth quarter that allowed McKendree to erase their deficit and take a lead into the dying minutes of the game. During the run, Upper Iowa was held to 2-for-13 shooting and committed four turnovers.
PEACOCKS OF THE GAME...
- Jessica Musgrave shot 50.0 percent from the field and made both of her free throws to lead the team with 16 points. She also brought down six rebounds and added a pair of steals, both team-highs
- Megan Peterson went 5-for-13 with two trifectas for 12 total points to go with a rebound and an assist
- Bekka Pierson and Brooke Evenson combined for 14 points and each tallied five rebounds
STAT OF THE GAME…
- Upper Iowa held McKendree to just 15 field goals in 52 attempts (.288) including 3-of-17 (.176) from behind the arc, but the Bearcats scored 28 points at the charity stripe to fuel the win
QUOTABLE…Â
UP NEXT… Upper Iowa will head to Quincy, Ill. for the Subway Classic hosted by Quincy University on Nov. 22-23. The Peacocks will face Quincy on Friday at 7 p.m. and Maryville University on Saturday at 1 p.m.
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