THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK MEN'S BASKETBALL... Upper Iowa will hit the road for a rematch against the Warriors of Winona State University on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 4 p.m. in Winona, Minn. Live stats, audio and a webcast will be available at UIUPeacocks.com/LIVE. The game will also stream live on the NSIC app through Roku and Fire devices, as well as Apple and Android TV.

THE BACKSTORY... In the teams' first meeting in Fayette on Nov. 30, the Peacocks claimed an 84-79 win in the NSIC-opener for both teams. Upper Iowa used a 10-0 run in the first half to build a 43-33 lead going into the break. Winona State fought back and took a 67-60 lead midway through the half outscoring their hosts 34-17 in the opening ten minutes. UIU steadied themselves and got back on stride thanks to scores by several players and a raised intensity on defense. Freshman Jake Hilmer knocked down a three-pointer with 2:04 to play to give the Peacocks a six-point cushion which the team rode to the final buzzer. Four Peacocks scored in double figures led by Joe Smoldt's 17, while the Warriors got a monster performance from Kevion Taylor, who notched a double-double with 25 points and 17 rebounds. Taylor also handed out 7 assists in the game.

WINNING WEEKEND… Upper Iowa was able to claim victories in their matchups last weekend against Concordia University, St. Paul and Minnesota State University, Mankato. The Peacocks first win came against the Golden Bears by a 104-92 count on an eventful Friday evening. Upper Iowa controlled the lead for nearly the entire game. The Peacocks offense flourished as three players scored 20 or more points on the night: Joe Smoldt (25), Jackson Joens (20) and Josh Carter (20). Jake Hilmer also dished out a career high 11 assists. To top off the evening, the victory was head coach Brooks McKowen's 100th career win.

Upper Iowa rode the momentum into Saturday's contest against Minnesota State. After a tough, hard-fought first half, the Peacocks trailed the Mavericks 40-35. Minnesota State extended their lead to 11 with 16:31 left to play in the second half. Upper Iowa made a stand and used a 13-1 run to go ahead 61-59 with 8:13 left on the clock. In the final eight minutes, the two teams traded the lead back and forth until the score stood tied at 75 as time expired. In overtime, Upper Iowa gained an early advantage in the overtime thanks to a pair of Lucas Duax layups around a big dunk from Dylan Jones. Duax ran his overtime point total to seven with a three-pointer in the corner and UIU converted from the line over the final minutes to preserve their lead and win 92-88.Upper had six double-digit scorers in the game including Williams (20), Hilmer (16), Lucas Duax (14), Joens (12), Jones (10), and Smoldt (10).
 
PIVOTAL PEACOCKS… Joens' play over the weekend earned him a spot on the week six NSIC top performers list. Joens averaged 16.0 points per game by shooting 12-23 (52.2%) from the floor including 8-15 (53.3%) from beyond the arc. Williams went 6-13 (46.1%) from deep over the weekend, keeping his three-point percentage (49.3%) in first place in the NSIC. Williams is averaging a team-high 14.3 points (21st in NSIC), 3.3 three-pointers (fourth in NSIC), and a team-high 5.1 rebounds per game.

Hilmer dished out 18 assists over the weekend, his 4.8 assists per game and 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio rank fifth in the NSIC. Additionally, his 10.2 points per game is the third highest on the team. Duax had a combined four steals against CSP and MSU. His 1.9 steals per game is the league high, as is his 21 steals on the year. Duax is also averaging 8.9 points and 4.2 boards per contest. Smoldt had 35 points over the weekend which brought his points per game total to 11.6, the second highest on the team. Carter's 20-point performance versus Concordia-St.Paul helped increased his points per game up to 9.2. Carter is also coming down with 4.9 rebounds per game, second highest on the team.
 
SCOUTING THE WARRIORS… Since joining the NSIC in 2006-07, the Peacocks hold a 7-18 record against Winona State. The Peacocks have claimed the last two games played; both contests were in Fayette. The Warriors have had a streaky start to their season. They began the season with three losses, won three straight games, lost another three in a row and are currently on a two-game win streak to set their record at 5-6 (2-3 NSIC). The Warriors have yet to pick up a win on the road, but have gone 5-1 on their home court. Kevion Taylor leads the Warriors this season with averages of 17.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Caleb Wagner has also been a big component of the Winona State offense averaging 17.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Wagner was recently named the week six NSIC South Division Player of the Week after posting back-to-back 20+ point performances against Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota State.

UP NEXT... The Peacocks will take a break from the hardwood and return for action in 2020. Upper Iowa will kick off the New Year on the road with games at Northern State University and Minnesota State University Moorhead on Jan. 3-4. UIU will return to Dorman Memorial Gymnasium on Jan. 10-11 for a pair of home games against Augustana University and Wayne State College.