THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK MEN'S BASKETBALL... Upper Iowa will begin the New Year on the road versus Northern State University on Jan. 3 at 7:30 p.m. in Aberdeen, S.D. The Peacocks will then head north to Moorhead, Minn. where they will take on Minnesota State University Moorhead at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 4. Live stats and a webcast will be available for both games, as well as an audio broadcast for Friday night's game only, at UIUPeacocks.com/Live. The games will also stream live on the NSIC app through Roku and Fire devices, as well as Apple and Android TVs.

OVERTIME ACTION... Upper Iowa last took the court on Dec. 21 at Winona State University in an 85-80 overtime loss. UIU used a 13-0 run in the first half to claim a ten-point lead midway through the first half. WSU countered with a 17-6 run of their own to make it a one possession game at the break. The Warriors rode the momentum into the second half as a 10-2 stretch increased their lead up to 38-29 with 17:03 to go. Upper Iowa regained the lead after a 15-3 run pushed the Peacocks ahead 62-58 with 2:51 left on the clock. The run was fueled by a pair of triples from Jareese Williams. WSU tied the game at 66 and forced overtime. Kevion Taylor led the Warriors in the extra period with nine points to lead the Warriors to the five-point win. Upper Iowa is now 1-1 in overtime games this year; the team has been involved in two straight overtimes including a 92-88 win over Minnesota State University, Mankato at home.
 
PROSPEROUS PEACOCKS… Jake Hilmer was named a week seven NSIC top performer. The freshman scored 20 points while shooting 70% (7-10) from the field including 80% (4-5) from beyond the arc versus Winona State. He also came down with five rebounds and dished out three assists in the overtime loss. Hilmer's 4.7 assists per game and 2.1 assist to turnover ratio rank fourth in the NSIC, while his 11.0 points per game is the third highest on the team.

Williams is the top three-point shooter in the league knocking down 50% of his attempts from long-range. The redshirt junior has hit 40 three-pointers. His 3.3 three-point makes per game rank fourth in the NSIC, while his 14.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game are both team-highs. Joe Smoldt is averaging 11.5 points per game trailing only Williams on the team's scoring leaderboard. Lucas Duax is recording 2.1 steals per game to sit at the top of the NSIC charts.

SCOUTING THE WOLVES… Northern State holds a 9-3 record overall and a 5-1 mark in the NSIC this season. The Wolves most recent matchup resulted in a 30-point win over MSU Moorhead (95-64). Northern State has three players scoring in double figures who combine for over 50 points per game; Parker Fox (18.6), Mason Stark (16.0) and Gabe King (12.0). Fox is also averaging 8.7 rebounds per contest, which ranks seventh on the NSIC leaderboard. NSU has posted a +9.5 scoring margin over their 2019-20 opponents.

SCOUTING THE DRAGONS...  MSU Moorhead is 7-5 this season and 3-3 in conference play. The Dragons hold NSIC wins against Northern State (81-74), the University of Mary (79-78) and Minot State University (79-76). MSU Moorhead is led by Gavin Baumgartner (16.1) and Bryce Irsfield (14.1), the duo combines for over 30 points per contest. The Dragons have controlled the boards with a +6.8 rebound margin this season. The team has also held the advantage over their opponents from the floor, shooting 49.6% compared to 43.8% by their opposition.

UP NEXT... Next weekend, the Peacocks return to Fayette for the first time since Dec. 14. Upper Iowa will host Augustana University on Friday, Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m.  and then welcome Wayne State College on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 5:30 p.m. Live options will be available at UIUPeacocks.com/LIVE.