Upper Iowa was defeated by Augustana University by a score of 86-59 in Saturday evening's contest. Upper Iowa moves to 4-5 (1-2 in NSIC play) while Augustana improves to 8-1 (3-0) on the year.

The Peacocks went toe-to-toe with the Vikings until Augustana was able to break away about halfway through the first frame. The Vikings went on a 14-3 run to put them up 25-16 with 9:56 remaining in the first half. Upper Iowa immediately went on a 9-0 run of their own to tie things up at 25 with 8:31 to play in the half. The run was highlighted by back-to-back three-pointers from Joe Smoldt. 

Augustana then went on a 25-5 run to close out the frame propelling them 20 points ahead of Upper Iowa. The Vikings' run put the game at 50-30 in favor of Augustana heading into half. Upper Iowa went 2-10 (20%) from the field and committed seven turnovers during the stretch.

Augustana outscored Upper Iowa 19-36 (52.8%) to 11-30 (36.7%) from the field in the first half. The Peacocks (50%) were nearly even with Augustana (53.8%) from three-point range. Neither team made many trips to the free throw line however, Augustana (5-6) had the advantage over Upper Iowa (0-1).

Joe Smoldt led the Peacocks offense in the first half with nine points. Smoldt went 3-5 (60%) from long-distance, as well as tacking on an assist, a rebound and a steal to his first half totals. Jake Hilmer also helped carry the Peacocks. Hilmer had eight points, two assists, a steal and a rebound in the first half. He additionally went 3-5 (60%) from the field including a perfect 2-2 from beyond the arc.

Upper Iowa and Augustana were fairly evenly matched in the second half. Upper Iowa's strong defensive stand resulted in 10 steals and 12 turnovers forced in the second half. The Peacocks were outscored by just seven points however, the 20-point deficit they accumulated in the first half was too large for Upper Iowa to overcome resulting in the 86-59 loss.

STATS OF THE GAME… 

• Augustana held the advantage on the scoring front: 50.8% to 32.4% from within the arc, 52.2% to 39.3% from downtown, and 83.3% to 44.4% from the charity stripe.
• The Vikings out rebounded the Peacocks 50 to 33 however, each team had nine offensive rebounds.
• Upper Iowa committed just 13 turnovers compared to 17 made by Augustana. 
• Upper Iowa (12) totaled double the amount of steals that Augustana (6) had.

PEACOCKS OF THE GAME… 

• Jake Hilmer tied with Joe Smoldt for the team high 14 points on the night. Hilmer had four assists, four steals and two rebounds in the game. He additionally went 5-10 (50%) from the field including a perfect 3-3 from three.

• Smoldt also had a strong performance. In addition to his 14 points he had three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Smoldt also went 4-7 (57.1%) from long-distance.

UP NEXT … The Peacocks will return to Fayette to host a pair of NSIC opponents. Upper Iowa will first face Concordia University, St. Paul on Friday, Dec.13 at 7:30 p.m. in Dorman Gymnasium. Live stats 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.