The Upper Iowa University women's basketball fell in their home opener at Dorman Memorial Gymnasium by a score of 78-64 against Rockhurst University. The Peacocks fall to a 1-2 record on the season while the Hawks improve to 1-0 on the year.

The Hawks opened with a 9-0 run and pushed their lead to 10 after outscoring the Peacocks 16-6 through the first 7:28 of the game. Upper Iowa cut their deficit to just two at 18-16 after a three-pointer from Emma Anderson, but Rockhurst hit a three-pointer in the final seconds to take a five-point lead into the second period.

Alaina Brenning cut UIU's deficit to three with an and-one layup to open the second-quarter scoring, but Rockhurst used a 7-0 spurt to reclaim their double-digit advantage. The teams traded buckets for the rest of the half as the Hawks held a 40-30 lead at the halftime break.

A layup from Jessica Musgrave at the 4:17 mark cut the Peacock deficit to single digits at 49-40, and a pair of Musgrave free throws with three minutes to play brought UIU within seven at 51-44. Rockhurst answered with a 6-0 stretch to increase their advantage, and Callista Rochon-Baker ended the mini-run with a three-pointer with 27 seconds on the clock to pull within ten. The Hawks benefitted from another quarter-ending shot from deep as they took a 13-point lead into the final quarter after knocking down a last-second three.

Rockhurst increased their lead to 16 early in the fourth period, but a 3PT shot from Brenning with 3:59 to play brought Upper Iowa within 11 points at 68-57. The Peacocks were unable to pull within single digits from there on out, and the Hawks held on to secure a 78-64 win.

STATS OF THE GAME… 

• Rockhurst shot better from all three levels as they went 28/62 (45.2%) from the floor, 7/19 (36.8%) from three, and 15/17 (88.2%) from the charity stripe compared to 24/66 (36.4%) from the field, 5/14 (35.7%) from deep, and 11/18 (61.1%) from the line by Upper Iowa.

• The Hawks out-rebounded the Peacocks by a 44-37 margin, including a 34-25 advantage on the defensive glass.

• UIU forced 13 RU turnovers while giving away just 11, leading to a 10-6 advantage in points off turnovers. 

• The Peacocks had twice as many second-chance points as they finished with a 16-8 advantage.

• The Hawks blocked five shots while UIU did not record any blocks.

PEACOCKS OF THE GAME… 

• Alaina Brenning dropped in a season-high 12 points and recorded the highest shooting percentage of players who took more than two shots after shooting 5/6 (83.3%) from the floor and a perfect 2/2 from behind the arc. She also pulled down 5 rebounds and dished out an assist.

• Jessica Musgrave finished with 17 points and 6 rebounds while adding a game-high 5 assists and 2 steals.

• Lydia Haack tallied 12 points and tied a career-high with 7 rebounds. She also contributed 4 assists and 2 steals.

• Lexie Lodermeier notched 8 points and 7 rebounds while shooting 3/5 (60%) from the field and adding an assist.  

UP NEXT… The Peacocks welcome Winona State University to Fayette for UIU's NSIC opener as they tip-off at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 23, in Dorman Memorial Gymnasium.