THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK MEN'S BASKETBALL ... Upper Iowa will host Iowa Wesleyan University for their home opener on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 12 p.m. Both teams hold records of 2-2 on the year and will battle Tuesday afternoon to stay above .500. Live options including a webcast and live stats are available at UIUPeacocks.com/LIVE.
LEAGUE LEADERS … Jareese Williams increased his points per game average to 18.8 after scoring a combined 43 points over two games at the Fairfield Inn Classic moving him into seventh place in the NSIC. Williams is also third in the NSIC in three point percentage (.613) and three point field goals made per game (4.8).
Lucas Duax is leading the entire NSIC in steals per game with 2.8 per contest.
Jake Hilmer remains in third place in the NSIC in assists per game collum with 5.0 after dishing out five each game at the Fairfield Inn Classic. Hilmer also lies in seventh place in assist/turnover ratio (1.8).
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE … Upper Iowa fell in a back and forth battle in game one of the Fairfield Inn Classic against the University of Central Missouri. The game had a lot of similarities to Upper Iowa's first loss of the season against Lincoln University. In both games the Peacocks opponents were the hosts of the tournament, the Peacocks trailed by four points or less at halftime, and Upper Iowa lost by just two scores. Upper Iowa led once in each half. In the first half the Mules got ahead by double digits after breaking away from Upper Iowa on a 12-5 run. The Peacocks then went on a 13-1 to flip the script and go ahead 25-24 with 2:39 left in the half. The stretch was highlighted by a trio of three pointers from Jareese Williams, Joe Smoldt and Jackson Joens. The Mules came out of halftime hot going on a 16-6 run to go up 47-36. Upper Iowa fought back with a 17-5 run to put the game at 53-52 thanks to a pair of threes from Williams and a couple of layups from Duax. Central Missouri quickly regained the lead after a 9-2 run and carried it all the way until the final buzzer resulting in the 70-65 final.
PEACOCKS BREAK DOWN BRONCOS … Upper Iowa defeated the University of Central Oklahoma 83-70 in their second game of the Fairfield Inn Classic. The majority of the first half was a close contest, neither team led by more than four points until Upper Iowa broke away from the Broncos with 5:45 to go in the first half and never looked back. The Peacocks went on a 16-2 run that put UIU up 46-35 at half. The run was fueled by two baskets from Jareese Williams and four points from Dylan Jones. With 10:46 left to play, the Broncos cut their deficit to eight. Upper Iowa went up big again with 4:27 to go. A 15-6 run highlighted by three baskets from Cade Moritz put Upper Iowa up 77-60. Central Oklahoma could not overcome the large deficit resulting in a 83-70 victory for the Peacocks.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS… This will be the second time in history Upper Iowa plays Iowa Wesleyan University. The first matchup occurred during the 2014 season and resulted in a 50-point win for the Peacocks. In the 116-66 victory, the Peacocks had five players in double digit scoring. Current Upper Iowa graduate assistant, Carson Parker had seven assists in the game, the Peacocks additionally had two players with eight rebounds. Iowa Wesleyan finished the 2018-19 season with a 7-18 record (5-13 in SLIAC play). So far the Tigers are 2-2 in 2019-20. Iowa Wesleyan has five players returning for their senior season who are set to lead the 2019-20 campaign.
