The Upper Iowa women's basketball team hosted Augustana University inside Dorman Gymnasium on Friday evening in Fayette. Both teams came into the contest looking for their first victory of the New Year, and the Vikings used strong performances in the middle frames to claim the victory by a final count of 69-50. Augustana improved to 7-6 (3-6 NSIC) with the win, while Upper Iowa dropped to 2-13 (1-8 NSIC).
The Peacocks outscored their guests 35-31 between the first and fourth quarters but it was ultimately the second and third legs that decided the contest as the Vikings dominated the frames with a 38-15 scoring advantage. Augustana opened up the second quarter with a 12-0 run and the third with a 14-0 spurt to set the tone on offense, while using tough defense and physicality to force 17 turnovers and hold Upper Iowa to just four-made field goals.
Augustana shot 60.0 from the field in the first quarter to jump out to a 20-13 lead after the first 10 minutes. The Vikings then pushed their lead out to as many as 19 before the teams went into the break with the score set at 37-19 in favor of the visitors.
Upper Iowa got into turnover trouble to start the second half as the Peacocks gave the ball away on five of their first six possessions. The Vikings used giveaways and cold-shooting from the home team to their advantage to increase the lead to 51-19 with 3:54 left in the quarter. Augustana then captured its largest lead of the night at 60-28 to open the fourth quarter before the Peacocks made one final push with a 22-9 run led by Brooke Evenson (10) and Lexie Lodermeier (8) to put the final score at 69-50.
PEACOCKS OF THE GAME…
- Brooke Evenson led the team with a career-high 15 points, seven rebounds, and a pair of blocks. Her scoring was fueled by two triples and five makes at the charity stripe
- Lexie Lodermeier tallied a career-high 12 points and led the team with two steals
- Megan Peterson chipped in 12 points thanks to 4-of-8 shooting from distance
STATS OF THE GAME...
- Augustana maintained a 40-6 advantage in the paint along with a 29-5 advantage in points scored off turnovers
QUOTABLE...
UP NEXT... Upper Iowa hosts Wayne State College on Saturday afternoon for the second contest of UIU's four-game homestand. The Peacocks and Wildcats will tip-off at 3:30 p.m.
