The Upper Iowa University men's basketball team prevailed over the University of Wisconsin - Parkside by a score of 82-68, finishing their weekend at the Haribo Invitational with a 2-0 record. The Peacocks stay perfect at 4-0 on the season while the Rangers fall to 2-2 on the year.
A back-and-forth first half saw the Rangers take a 17-15 lead with a three-pointer, but
Max Duax answered by swishing in a three of his own to put UIU back on top. The three kicked off a 16-6 run for the Peacocks that saw the Upper Iowa lead swell to nine at 30-21. Parkside knocked down three free throws after getting fouled on an attempt from deep, but a deep three from
Max Duax and an and-one layup from
Jake Hilmer pushed the Peacock lead to 12 at 38-26. The Rangers closed the period by knocking down four shots from the charity stripe as they finished the first half shooting 9/9 from the line, but UIU took a 38-30 lead into the break.
The three-point line proved to be a difference-maker in the opening period as the Peacocks shot a scorching 6/13 (46.3%) from deep while holding the Rangers to just 1/10 (10%) from behind the arc in the first half. Three Peacocks were perfect from 3PT-range as
Jareese Williams went 3/3,
Max Duax was 2/2, and
Connor Duax shot 1/1. UIU had a balanced scoring attack in the first period as Williams and C. Duax scored 9 points apiece, M. Duax added 8, and Hilmer chipped in 7.
After going 0-5 from behind the arc in the first half,
Joe Smoldt knocked down a deep three for the first bucket of the second half to reclaim UIU's double-digit lead. Upper Iowa built their largest lead at 45-31 after a dunk from
Dylan Jones, but Parkside cut their deficit to just five thanks to a 13-4 run. The Peacocks quickly turned the momentum back in their favor with a 7-0 spurt that included five quick points from Williams after hitting two technical free throws and a three-pointer. The run extended to nine straight and swelled to 12-2 after Smoldt hit another three to improve to 2/2 in the second half, giving UIU a 15-point advantage.
The Rangers stopped the bleeding with back-to-back threes to cut the Peacock lead to single digits and force a UIU timeout. Smoldt stayed perfect in the second half and hit his third three out of the timeout. After some back-and-forth play, Smoldt continued his torrid second half by knocking down jumpers from inside and outside the arc, shooting 5/5 and putting UIU ahead by 14 with 6:28 to play. UWP went on a 9-2 run over the next three minutes to cut their deficit to 75-68.
Nick Reid ended the stretch by swishing home a three and putting UIU ahead by 10 with 1:43 to play and blocked a shot on the ensuing Parkside possession to put the Peacocks in position to win as Upper Iowa held an 82-68 lead as the final buzzer sounded.
STATS OF THE GAME…Â
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The Peacocks shot a season-high 50.8% from the floor, hitting 31/61 shots. UIU also tied a season-high in makes and percentage with a 12/25 (48%) clip from behind the arc.
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Upper Iowa's defensive field goal percentage was a season-best as they held Wisconsin-Parkside to just 23/58 (39.7%) from the floor.
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UIU held a 12-4 advantage in fast break points and a whopping 36-18 advantage in points in the paint.
PEACOCKS OF THE GAME…Â
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Jareese Williams paced the Peacocks with 18 points and tied for the team lead with 6 rebounds. He shot 5/10 (50%) from the floor, 4/7 (57.1%) from three, and 4/4 from the free throw line.
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Jake Hilmer tallied 15 points and dished out a game-high and season-high 8 assists.
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Connor Duax notched 15 points and grabbed 6 rebounds while shooting an efficient 6/9 (66.7%) from the field, 2/2 from deep, and 2/2 from the charity stripe.Â
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Joe Smoldt scored all 14 of his points in the second half, going 4/5 (80%) from behind the arc in the second period.
UP NEXT… The Peacocks welcome Winona State University to Fayette for UIU's NSIC opener as they tip-off at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 23, in Dorman Memorial Gymnasium.
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