THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK WOMEN'S HOOPS... The Upper Iowa University women's basketball team moves onto their third week of the season with a record of 1-3 (0-2 NSIC) following consecutive losses in their home back-to-back against the reigning NSIC South Division Champion University of Sioux Falls Cougars this past Saturday and Sunday. The Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs are looking to play their first games since Jan. 3rd after their games were canceled last weekend due to COVID-19 testing protocols and contact tracing. The games between the Peacocks and Mustangs were originally scheduled to be played on Friday and Saturday but were moved back to allow the Mustangs to meet COVID-19 testing protocols.

ATTENDANCE POLICY & LIVE OPTIONS… The Mustangs will host the Peacocks in the R/A Facility, but due to Minnesota COVID-19 guidelines no fans will be allowed at the game. Peacock fans can watch a webcast, tune into a SMSU radio broadcast, or view live stats of the game through the links at UIUPeacocks.com/Live on Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.

PACING THE PEACOCKS... The Peacocks were unable to secure a win against the Cougars last weekend at home, though the double-header did provide some bright spots for UIU that they hope to see again moving forward. Freshman guard Lydia Haack paced the Peacocks offense, leading the team in both scoring (34 pts) and assists (10). She currently leads Upper Iowa in scoring at 17.5 ppg while also leading the Peacocks with 3 assists per game. Haack had not missed a free throw on 16 attempts heading into the weekend, and she continued that trend of strong shooting and getting to the line during the double-header. She knocked down 12 of 14 FTs against USF, maintaining an impressive 93.3% (28-30) clip for the year. Sophomore guard Brooke Evenson recorded season-highs in scoring in consecutive games by scoring 15 points on Saturday and another 17 on Sunday. Her performance in the second game helped give UIU an early lead as she scored the team's first 8 points and finished with 13 in the first quarter after not missing a shot (5-5 FG, 3-3 3PT). She also led the Peacocks in rebounds with 8 boards in each of the back-to-back games.

GETTING TRENDY... The Peacocks were trending in the right direction over the weekend with their shooting from behind the arc. They came in having shot 6-33 (18.2%) from the 3PT line but surpassed those totals in both games. UIU went 9-27 (33.3%) from three on Saturday and 7-17 (41.2%) on Sunday. UIU also saw improvement in their assist totals, recording a season-high 14 in the first game and 23 total dimes over the weekend. 

WHO'S RUNNING THE RIVALRY... The matchup between the Peacocks and the Mustangs has seen long stretches of dominance for each team over the last nine seasons. SMSU won the first matchup of the 2011-12 season, but Upper Iowa did not lose a game in their next nine contests and won 10 of the next 11 overall (10-2 against SMSU from 2011-2017). The Mustangs have won their previous six games against the Peacocks dating back to the 2017-18 season, so the Peacocks are looking to buck that Mustang trend this weekend.

SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS… The Mustangs were picked to finish fifth in the 2020-21 NSIC coaches' preseason poll. SMSU returns all five starters from a team that won 16 games in the 2019-20 season. The 16 wins were the highest total for the Mustang program since 2004-05, and the team's 16-12 (11-11 NSIC) record marked its first winning season since 2009-10. Senior guard Meleah Reinhart lead the team in scoring (15.0) and ranked second in assists last season. Reinhart has been named to the All-NSIC second team the last two years. The Mustang roster includes seven seniors in total, with notable contributors including senior guard Sadie Stelter (9.8 ppg, 820 points, and 143 3s for her career), senior center and NSIC All-Defensive team member Abuk Akoi (536 points, 505 rebounds, 143 blocks in her career), and senior forward Erin Baxter (699 career points, career 8.3 ppg). SMSU also welcomes back senior forward Caleigh Rodning, a two-time All-NSIC second team member, who missed all but six games last season with an injury. Rodning is a 1,000-point career scorer who led the mustangs in scoring and rebounding during her sophomore and junior seasons.