THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCKS MEN'S BASKETBALL… Upper Iowa will face Minnesota State University Moorhead in the quarterfinals of the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament on Saturday, February 29 at 2:30 p.m. The remaining slate of NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament games will take place at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. Live options will be available at UIUPeacocks.com/Live. The game will also stream live on the NSIC app through Roku and Fire devices as well as Apple and Android TVs.

NSIC/SANFORD HEALTH TOURNAMENT HISTORY… The Peacocks have had back-to-back first round exits in the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament during the last two seasons. In 2016-17, Upper Iowa made it all the way to the finals where they fell 71-58 to Southwest Minnesota State University. A trio of quarterfinal round exits preceded the finals appearance. In the inaugural tournament during the 2012-13 season, Upper Iowa made a run to the semifinals before suffering a narrow loss to Bemidji State University (64-61).

SAILING PAST THE MARAUDERS… The Peacocks and Marauders went toe-to-toe in the first half, exchanging a pair of runs before heading into halftime with a 38-38 draw. Upper Iowa increased the tempo in the second frame by starting out on a 13-4 advantage. UMary battled back with a 13-6 run of their own that cut the Marauders' deficit down to five points with 6:56 to play. Upper Iowa responded with a 13-3 stretch that put the Peacocks ahead 73-58 with 4:04 left on the clock. 

Max Duax played relentless defense down the stretch picking up a trio of steals in under three minutes (7:31-4:50). UIU maintained its advantage for the remainder of the game picking up the victory by an 80-64 count. Lucas Duax led the Peacocks with a career-high 18 points on a blistering 8-12 (66.7%) rate from the field. Duax also tallied a career-high eight rebounds as well as four assists and four steals. The performance was Lucas Duax's third consecutive game scoring in double figures. His four steals on the night increased his league-high steal totals to 63 on the year and 2.2 per contest.

THREE MAKE ALL-NSIC… The Northern Sun Conference handed out their men's basketball awards Thursday and three Peacocks were honored by the league. Junior guards Joe Smoldt and Jareese Williams were named to the All-NSIC Second Team, while freshman point guard Jake Hilmer was named as an All-NSIC honorable mention.

Smoldt, the 2017-18 NSIC Freshman of the Year, started all 22 conference games this season and averaged 13.6 points and 3.3 rebounds to go along with a 40.9% field goal percentage. The Reinbeck, Iowa native ranked sixth in conference free throw percentage with a 84.3% rate from the charity stripe . Smoldt scored double-digits in 16 of the 22 league games, including four 20+ point performances. 

Williams, a two-year starter for the Peacocks, averaged 13.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and shot 40.1% from the floor in 22 conference contests. The Mason City, Iowa native led the league in three-point field goal percentage with a 42.8% clip from downtown. Williams connected on 62 of his 145 attempts from deep. Williams also ranked fifth in the NSIC in free throw percentage with a 85.1% mark from the line. The redshirt junior guard scored in double figures in 15 out of 22 conference games, including four 20+ point performances.

Hilmer started all 22 NSIC matchups for the Peacocks. The true freshman tallied 13.4 points, 4.6 assists and 2.9 rebounds per contest. His 102 total assists over the conference slate is the third highest total in the NSIC. The Walker, Iowa native shot 44.8% from the floor, 48.4% from beyond the arc and 83.5% from the charity stripe, which was good for the eighth highest mark in the league. Hilmer totaled 17 double-digit scoring performances and four 20+ point nights during the 22 conference contests. The freshman dished out five or more assists nine times including an 11-assist game in a win over Concordia.

SCOUTING THE DRAGONS… MSU Moorhead won the first matchup of the season by a 98-84 final score in Moorhead, Minn. The teams were wrapped up in a 47 all tie at the half. The Dragons broke away in the second half when a pair of early runs propelled them to victory.

MSU Moorhead won a closely contested game against Wayne State College on Wednesday night. The Wildcats controlled the majority of the first frame including a 14-5 run that put Wayne State up 40-31 heading into halftime. The Dragons then held a 38-25 advantage in the second half to claim the win by a 69-65 final count. Gavin Buamgartner ranks among the top 10 NSIC scorers as he tallies 17.4 points per contest. As a team, MSU Moorhead holds a +3.6 scoring margin and a +3.8 advantage on the boards.