Upper Iowa defeated the University of Mary 80-64 in Wednesday night's matchup. UIU held UMary to just 64 points, the Peacocks allowed the Marauders to score 85 points in their last meeting. The win marks Upper Iowa's first victory in an NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament game since 2017. The Peacocks will move onto the quarterfinals of the tournament where they will face Minnesota State University Moorhead on Saturday, February 29 at 2:30 p.m. MSU Moorhead defeated Wayne State College by a slim 68-65 margin on Wednesday night. Upper Iowa improves to 19-10 on the year while UMary falls to 12-17 in their final game of the season.
After going blow for blow with UMary for the first 10 minutes of action, Upper Iowa broke away on an 8-0 run. The stretch allowed the Peacocks to push past the Marauders 26-20 with 8:28 left in the first frame. Lucas Duax fueled the stretch with a trio of baskets. UMary pulled away on a 9-2 run to regain the lead 38-36 with 10 seconds left in the first half. Jake Hilmer was able to beat the buzzer, tying the game at 38 all headed into the break.
Upper Iowa committed just two turnovers in the first frame while they forced six takeaways on the opposite end of the floor. Hilmer and Duax led the Peacocks in the opening period with eight points apiece and 4-7 (57.1%) marks from the field. Duax tallied four rebounds and two steals while Hilmer dished out two assists in the first half.
Upper Iowa began the second half on a 13-4 advantage. The run put the Peacocks up 51-42 with 14:36 on the clock. The Marauders responded with a 13-6 stretch that cut their deficit down to five points as the score stood at 63-58 with 6:56 left to play. Upper Iowa extended its lead to double figures following a 13-3 run. Max Duax played relentless defense down the stretch picking up a trio of steals in under three minutes (7:31-4:50). The run put the Peacocks ahead 73-58 with 4:04 left to play. UIU maintained its advantage for the remainder of the game picking up the victory by an 80-64 count.
STATS OF THE GAME…Â
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Upper Iowa held the advantage in every scoring category: 34-66 (51.5%) from the field compared to 23-54 (42.6%), 5-14 (35.7%) from three-point range compared to a 7-22 (31.8%) mark and 7-9 (77.8%) compared to a 11-16 (68.8%) rate from the free throw line.
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The Peacocks out rebounded the Marauders 35-33.
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UIU committed just six turnovers while they forced 15.
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Upper Iowa outscored UMary 40-22 in the paint.
PEACOCKS OF THE GAME…Â
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Lucas Duax led the Peacocks with a career-high 18 points on a blistering 8-12 (66.7%) rate from the field. Duax tallied a career-high eight rebounds as well as four assists and four steals.
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Joe Smoldt followed close behind with 17 points and four boards.
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Hilmer tacked on 12 points shooting 6-9 (66.7%) from the field and dishing out four assists.
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Joshua Carter added 10 points on a 5-8 (62.5%) rate from the floor.
QUOTABLES…Â
UP NEXT… With the win, the Peacocks move onto the quarterfinals of the tournament where they will face MSU Moorhead on Saturday, February 29 at 2:30 p.m at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
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