THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCKS MEN'S BASKETBALL… Upper Iowa will conclude the 2019-20 regular season on the road. The Peacocks will first face Minnesota State University - Mankato on Friday, Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m. UIU will then head to St. Paul, Minn. where they will play Concordia University, St. Paul on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 5:30 p.m. Live stats and a webcast for both games will be available at UIUPeacocks.com/LIVE. An audio broadcast for the Minnesota State game only can be found at UIUPeacocks.com/LIVE as well. The games will additionally stream live on the NSIC app through Roku and Fire devices, as well as Apple and Android TV.
HOME SWEET HOME… Upper Iowa clinched a home game in the first round of the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament for the first time since 2017 over the weekend. The Peacocks could claim a share of the NSIC South title with a pair of wins and back-to-back losses by the University of Sioux Falls. UIU currently sits in second place in the south, the Peacocks lie two games behind Sioux Falls while they are two games ahead of Winona State University and Minnesota State who are currently tied for third. Upper Iowa is guaranteed a top-three finish in the south since Minnesota State and Winona State face off on Saturday, Feb. 22. The Peacocks hold the fourth-best overall record in the NSIC as regular season play comes to an end, UIU was projected to finish 13th in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
SEASON SWEEPS… The Peacocks picked up a pair of victories over the weekend. UIU beat Southwest Minnesota State University by a 63-55 count on Friday night before defeating Sioux Falls 75-69 on Saturday. The wins give Upper Iowa a perfect 2-0 record against both the Mustangs and the top-ranked Cougars this season.
Friday night was Upper Iowa's lowest-scoring game of the season, the two teams combined for just 118 points. After trading buckets to begin the game, Upper Iowa broke off on a 7-0 run to go ahead 16-12 with 9:13 to play in the first half. The Peacocks maintained their advantage as they went into halftime ahead 31-27. The Mustangs and the Peacocks went toe-to-toe for most of the second frame. Upper Iowa broke off an 11-4 run that put UIU up 57-51 with 2:27 on the clock. Upper Iowa then outscored SMSU 6-4 in the final moments of the game resulting in the 63-55 Peacock win.
On Saturday, the Cougars began the game on a 16-0 run. The Peacocks used a 20-3 run of their own to even the game at 25 with 3:02 to go in the first half. Each team tacked on five points apiece before the end of the half making it 30 all at the break. Sioux Falls regained the lead 40-35 with 14:32 left to play following a 10-3 stretch. The Peacocks followed up with a 12-3 run that tied the game at 56 with 6:45 remaining. The teams continued to go blow for blow leaving the game tied at 69 with just 1:23 left on the clock. Upper Iowa went on to score six unanswered points in the final 0:55 leading to the 75-69 UIU victory. Jareese Williams had a career-night scoring 30 points, all of which came in the last 11:03 of the second half.
TOP PEACOCKS… Williams' play over the weekend earned him his fourth honorable mention on the weekly NSIC top performers list this season. His 30-point performance on Saturday night is the highest total any Peacock has produced this season. Williams was perfect in the last 11:03 against the Cougars, shooting 7-7 from the field including 6-6 from three-point range and 10-10 from the free-throw line. Williams' impressive stretch boosted his three-point percentage up to 46.3% which gives him a comfortable 5.4% lead over all other NSIC three-point shooters heading into the final weekend of the regular season.
Joe Smoldt averaged 13 points and 3.5 rebounds per game against the Mustangs and the Cougars. He also went 5-5 from the free-throw line between the two games. Smoldt's 84% rate from the charity stripe ranks seventh in the conference while Williams' 82.9% ranks eighth and Jake Hilmer's 81.7% mark follows in ninth place. Smoldt's 12.4 points per game average ranks second on the team behind Williams (14.2). Hilmer posted 9.5 points and 3.0 assists per game over the weekend. His 4.7 assists per game are a team-high and rank third in the NSIC.
SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS… The Peacocks claimed an overtime win in the first matchup against the Mavericks this season. Upper Iowa trailed at half and used a pair of runs to tie the game at 75 at the end of regulation. The Peacocks outscored the Mavericks 17-13 in the extra period leading to the 92-88 victory.
Minnesota State leads the career series 20-6. After trailing 17-1 to start the series, Upper Iowa has held the advantage 5-3 since December 2016. The Mavericks are currently in third place in the NSIC South with a 14-12 record and a 12-8 mark in the NSIC. Minnesota State is coming off of a weekend split, the Mavericks first fell to Augustana University (73-66) before picking up an overtime win against Wayne State College (72-70). MSU's starting five combines for over 60 points per game: Cameron Kirksey (17.0), Ryland Holt (14.0), Kevin Krieger (11.5), Corvon Seales (10.2), and Kelby Kramer (9.7). Kramer ranks in the top three in the NSIC in rebounds (9.7) and blocks (2.5) per game. As a team, MSU holds a +2.9 scoring margin and a +2.7 margin on the glass.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN BEARS… Upper Iowa picked up a 104-91 win in December 2019 when the two teams last met. The Peacocks held the lead for the entire game. It was an eventful night as Brooks Mckowen reached 100 career wins and Hilmer became the first Peacock to dish out 10 or more assists in a single game since February 2018.
Upper Iowa holds the career series 15-12, after a rocky 3-9 start, the Peacocks are on 12-3 stretch that includes seven straight wins against the Golden Bears since December 2012. Concordia, St. Paul is 8-16 overall, 6-14 in conference play this season. The Golden Bears recently snapped an eight-game losing streak with a pair of wins over the University of Minnesota Crookston (92-81) and Wayne State (93-89) before falling to Augustana (92-71) on Saturday night. Concordia, St. Paul is led by the three-headed monster of Jordan Coblin (16.5), Cody Carlson (12.6) and Lee Higgins (12.6) who combine for over 40 points per game. Colbin is tied with Hilmer for third place in the Northern Sun with 4.7 assists per game. As a team, the Golden Bears have posted a 47.2% field goal percentage while holding their opponents to a 43.9% rate from the floor.
