THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK WOMEN'S HOOPS… Upper Iowa closes out its four-game homestand with a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference games against Bemidji State University and University of Minnesota Crookston. The Peacocks will line up against the Beavers on Friday night at 5:30 p.m. and the Golden Eagles on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to dress up in beach attire for the Peacocks' game against BSU and 90's clothing on Saturday when UIU hosts UMC for Throwback Day. Saturday's game also marks Alumni Day for both basketball programs. Alumni for each team will be recognized during halftime of their respective games.

LIVE OPTIONS… Live stats and webcast will be available for all three matchups through the links at UIUPeacocks.com/Live or the game can be streamed live on the Stretch Internet App for fans with Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple or Android televisions. In addition, Friday's game can be broadcast live on KCRG-TV 9.3, and Saturday's tilt can be broadcast on KCRG-TV 9.2.

IT'S A SLAM DUNK… DON'T DRIVE DRUNK… The NSIC and Upper Iowa have designated this weekend as our It's a Slam Dunk… Don't Drive Drunk weekend to raise awareness about drunk driving. The Upper Iowa Student-Athlete Advisory Committee members will be collecting signatures from fans pledging not to drive drunk. This campaign started in 2013 to commemorate Drake Bigler, the five-month-old son of Southwest Minnesota State University Men's Basketball Coach Brad Bigler, who was killed by a drunk driver. Please help UIU and the NSIC and pledge not to drive drunk.

LAST TIME OUT… Upper Iowa played host to Augustana University and Wayne State College in a pair of losses last weekend. The Peacocks managed to start and finish the games on a high note, but struggled to keep the game within reach during the middle frames; UIU edged the guests by two in the first and fourth quarters combined (69-67) but were outscored 80-36 in the second and third quarters over the weekend. Natalie Dinius led the Peacocks with 25 points over the weekend, while Brooke Evenson tallied 21 points and a team-high 13 rebounds. The duo combined for 10 long range shots and added three steals and two blocks. Lexie Lodermeier (18 points, 8 rebounds) and Megan Peterson (17 points, 3 rebounds) also played key roles for UIU.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE… The Peacocks will look to take advantage of their home court this weekend against the Beavers and Golden Eagles. In the series against Bemidji State, the home team has won every matchup dating back to the 2012-2013 with Upper Iowa's most recent win coming on Dec. 20, 2016 by a final score of 65-60. Both of UIU's wins in the all-time series with Minnesota Crookston were in Fayette with the last one coming seven years ago to the day of this year's contest, 91-68.

SEASON STAT LEADERS… Team leader in italics…

• Jessica Musgrave – 13.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 17 steals, 43.6% FG
• Megan Peterson - 8.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.1 apg, 36.1% 3FG
• Natalie Dinius - 7.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 32.1% 3FG
• Brooke Evenson – 5.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 11 steals, 8 blocks, 30.7% FG
• Bekka Pierson - 5.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 7 blocks, 35.2% FG
• Marina Peinado - 2.4 ppg, 2.5 apg, 10 steals, 92.3% FT

SCOUTING BEMIDJI STATE… The Beavers (6-8, 3-7 NSIC) enter the weekend having dropped four contests in a row, their longest skid of the 2019-20 campaign. BSU opened the season with a 3-1 record in non-conference action and have captured a pair of wins over Minnesota Crookston and a victory over Augustana since. For the year, Bemidji State is averaging 0.5 more points than opponents (64.5-64.0) and 0.5 less rebounds than its foes (36.9-36.4). Trinity Myer leads the way in both categories with 13.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, while Rachael Heittola averages 9.3 ppg and 5.1 rpg and Brooklyn Bachmann chips in 9.1 points and 5.2 rebounds. The Beavers rank eighth in the NSIC with a 41.6 shooting percentage from the floor and hold opponents to a 38.3 shooting clip from the field (4^th in NSIC) including just 28.8 percentage behind the arc (3^rd in NSIC).

SCOUTING MINNESOTA CROOKSTON… The Golden Eagles (2-12, 1-9 NSIC) have lost five-straight since edging Wayne State 66-65 for their first conference win of the season on Dec. 14. Minnesota Crookston's other victory this season was a 68-65 decision against Chaminade University in Hawaii. UMC is averaging 59.0 points per game on 36.2 percent shooting from the floor, and allows opponents to score an average of 74.6 points on 45.1 percent shooting. The Golden Eagles are being outrebounded by a slim margin of 37.9 to 36.3, and average 9.9 assists, 5.9 steals, and 2.0 blocks per contest. Abby Guidinger leads the team with 10.5 points per contest, Bren Fox scores 7.3 points and grabs a team-best 7.1 rebounds, and Emma Carpenter hands out 1.9 assists.

UP NEXT… Upper Iowa gets back on the road to face University of Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State University and on Jan. 24-25. The Peacocks will play the Cougars at 5:30 p.m. on Friday evening and the Mustangs on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.