THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK MEN'S BASKETBALL ... Upper Iowa will host their first NSIC opponent of the 2019-20 season. The Peacocks will face off against the Warriors of Winona State University on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 4 p.m. in Dorman Gymnasium. The matchup will follow the women's game at 2 p.m. as part of a Peacock basketball double header. Live stats and a webcast will be available at UIUPeacocks.com/LIVE. The game will also broadcast live on KCRG-TV 9.2 and stream live on the NSIC app through Roku and Fire devices, as well as Apple and Android TV.
THE LIONS ROARED… Upper Iowa fell to Missouri Southern State University 98-73 in Saturday afternoon's showdown. The game was Upper Iowa's first loss this season with a scoring differential larger than two possessions. It was also the first time that the Upper Iowa defense allowed a team to shoot over 50% from the field (51.6%) this season.
The Peacocks led 9-4, three minutes into the game thanks to three scores from Jake Hilmer. However, that was the last time the Peacocks held a lead. Missouri Southern State broke away on a 21-6 run to go ahead by 25-15 with 8:30 left to play in the first half. Upper Iowa got back within two possessions after Max Duax scored a pair of unanswered buckets to put the game at 33-27. The Lions followed up with a 20-7 run to close out the half putting them up 53-36.
Upper Iowa came out of halftime ready to compete. They were outscored by just eight points in the second half compared to the 17-point deficit they accumulated in the first frame. Upper Iowa played well in the second half but their efforts were not enough to overthrow the Lions resulting in the 98-73 loss.
Despite the loss, Upper Iowa had four double-digit scorers. Jake Hilmer had 15 points on the day shooting 5-10 (50%) from the field and 3-5 (60%) from beyond the arc. He additionally came down with four rebounds and dished out two assists. Joe Smoldt emerged as the second leading scorer for the Peacocks with 14 points. Smoldt was also 5-10 (50%) from the field. Josh Carter made his presence felt in the paint grabbing a team high eight rebounds. Carter also scored 12 points, shot 6-11 (55%) from the field, and snatched two steals. Last but certainly not least, Lucas Duax shined for Upper Iowa in the second half. Duax had 10 points on the day shooting 4-7 (57%) from the field.
TOP PEACOCKS … Jake Hilmer is coming off of a big week which earned him a spot on the week three NSIC top performers list. He averaged 16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists while shooting 54.5% from the field and 62.5% from three in the Peacocks first pair of home games. Hilmer's 4.7 assists per game is the third best in the NSIC and his 1.9 assists to turnover ratio ranks fifth in the league. Despite cooling off in the last two games, Jareese Williams' 14.8 points per game is the 15th best in the NSIC. His 50% three-point percentage and 3.3 three-point field goals per game are the third highest in the league. Williams is also tied for second on the team in rebounds per game with 5.3.Â
Lucas Duax has emerged as a consistent two-way player for the Peacocks in his redshirt freshman season. Duax is averaging 9.8 points per game, the second highest on the team. On the other side of the ball, Duax is averaging 2.2 steals per game, the second highest in the NSIC. Josh Carter has been a staple of Upper Iowa's lineup as well, putting up 9.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Joe Smoldt has regained mid-season form coming off a double-digit scoring performance vs. Missouri Southern State. Smoldt is averaging 8.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game on the year.
Despite missing the Peacocks most recent game due to an injury, Jackson Joens is averaging 8.6 points per game and shooting 54.5% from the field this season. The Peacocks pair of big men, Dylan Jones and Cade Moritz both rank among the top shot blockers in the NSIC. Moritz is averaging an NSIC seventh best 1.2 blocks per game in addition to 5.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per contest. Jones's 1.0 blocks per game is 10th best in the league. Jones has started four consecutive games for Upper Iowa while averaging 6.2 points and a team best 5.5 rebounds per game this season.
SCOUTING THE WARRIORS… Since joining the NSIC in 2006-07, the Peacocks hold a 6-18 record against Winona State. After losing the first seven matchups while transitioning into Division II play, the Peacocks are 6-11 against the Warriors since 2010. The most recent matchup took place in December of 2018 at home and resulted in a 82-76 win for Upper Iowa. Smoldt and Williams led the Peacocks in the contest. Smoldt had 26 points, went 13-14 from the free throw line, and pulled in eight rebounds. Williams had 17 points, went 6-11 from the field, and grabbed five boards.Â
The Warriors finished the 2018-19 season with a 14-17 (9-13 in NSIC play) record. Winona State made it all the way to the third round of the NSIC tournament before falling to Northern State (77-76) in a heartbreaking loss to end the season. The Warriors are 3-3 this season, one of their losses came from Missouri Southern State (71-50) at the Central Region Challenge. Since a rocky 0-3 start, the Warriors have won three straight games including a victory against Viterbo University (75-66) on Tuesday night. Winona State's 2018-19 leading scorer, Kevion Taylor returns to the Warriors for his junior year. Taylor averaged 16.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting 47.2% from the field last season. Caleb Wagner also returns to the team for his senior season. Wagner averaged 13.9 points and 3.7 assists per game last year.
