The Upper Iowa women's basketball team suffered a 78-55 setback to Wayne State College on Saturday afternoon in Fayette. The Peacocks got off to a hot start in the early going but were unable to maintain the momentum throughout as the Wildcats created separation in the second and third quarters to cruise to the 23-point victory. Wayne State improved to 11-5 (6-4 NSIC) on the season and Upper Iowa fell to 2-14 (1-9 NSIC).
The Peacocks scored on its first two possessions to take a quick 4-0 lead in the opening minutes thanks to baskets from Lexie Lodermeier and Megan Peterson. After Erin Norling tied things up with four makes at the line, Upper Iowa got back out front with a pair of three-pointers. Wayne State then took its first lead and more with an 8-0 run before Bekka Pierson cut the deficit to one, 14-13, following a key offensive rebound from Erica Armstrong.
Upper Iowa's big plays behind the arc continued in the second quarter as Natalie Dinius sank her second to tie things up at 16-all and Pierson hit another long-range jumper for a three-point lead early in the third. The momentum was short-lived for the Peacocks, though, as the Wildcats countered with a 15-0 run over nearly six minutes to capture their first double-digit lead of the game. Armstrong broke the silence at 1:32 with a layup and free throw, and the teams went into intermission with the visitors ahead 31-22.
Wayne State opened the second half with seven unanswered to increase the advantage to 38-22, but Upper Iowa pulled back within eight with a quick 8-0 run fueled by back-to-back triples from Dinius. The Peacocks were then held to just one bucket and a free throw the rest of the quarter as Wayne State went into the final quarter with a 56-34 lead. The two teams battled back and forth in the final 10 minutes with the Wildcats winning the frame 22-21 to leave Fayette with a 23-point victory.
PEACOCK OF THE GAME…
- Natalie Dinius knocked down four three-pointers, a layup and three free throws for a season-high 17 points
STATS OF THE GAME...
- Wayne State outrebounded Upper Iowa 47-32 during the contest with an 11-6 advantage in offensive boards. The Peacocks outscored the Wildcats 6-2 in second chance points in the first half but surrendered 11 in the final two quarters
- The Wildcats maintained a huge 40-8 advantage in the paint but the Peacocks outscored their guests 47-38 elsewhere including a 30-15 advantage behind the arc
- In the first half, WSC lost the turnover battled 10-9 but was able to translate the giveaways into nine more points than the Peacocks (12-3). The Wildcats added a dozen more points to that total in the second half with 12 scores on 10 UIU turnovers
QUOTABLE...
UP NEXT... Upper Iowa stays home for another pair of NSIC games in Dorman Gymnasium. The Peacocks will welcome Bemidji State University on Fri., Jan 18 at 5:30 p.m. and University of Minnesota Crookston on Sat., Jan 19 at 3:30 p.m. The Beavers (6-8, 3-7 NSIC) currently hold the sixth spot in the NSIC North Division, while the Golden Eagles (2-12, 1-9 NSIC) sit seventh.
