The Upper Iowa University women's basketball team fell in their NSIC opener at Dorman Memorial Gymnasium by a score of 73-69 against Winona State University. The Peacocks fall to a 1-3 (0-1 NSIC) record on the year while the Warriors improve to 3-0 (1-0 NSIC) on the season.
 
Upper Iowa led for all but 20 seconds of the opening half. After a back-and-forth first period, Brooke Evenson knocked down a three-pointer off an assist from Lexie Lodermeier to kickstart a 10-2 Peacock run to start the second quarter. The Warriors strung together a 6-0 spurt from the 3:15 to 1:04 marks to cut the UIU lead to 37-30, but the Peacocks ended the half with a 5-0 stretch to take a 42-30 lead into halftime.
 
The third quarter decided the game as the Warriors went on a 20-0 run to open the second half. Winona State ended the third period with a 61-50 lead, outscoring Upper Iowa 31-8 after scoring just 30 points over the first two quarters.
 
The Peacocks opened the fourth quarter with a 7-0 stretch bookended by buckets from Lydia Haack, including an and-one layup to start the final period. The Warriors made a layup to push their advantage back up to six, but a Mia Huberty layup and a three from Evenson brought Upper Iowa within one at 63-62. Despite the strong 12-2 push to open the fourth quarter, the Peacocks were unable to reclaim the lead as Winona claimed a 73-69 victory at the final buzzer. 

STATS OF THE GAME… 

• The Peacocks outscored the Warriors in the first, second, and fourth quarters, but a 31-8 Warrior advantage in the third period proved to be the difference in the game. In the third quarter, WSU shot 12/16 (75%) from the floor, 4/6 (66.7%) from three, and 3/4 (75%) from the free throw line, while UIU shot just 3/11 (27.3%) from the field, 2/7 (28.6%) from deep, and were held without an attempt from the charity stripe.

• Winona State held a slight edge in shooting as they compiled a 26/49 (44.1%) clip compared to a 28/65 (43.1%) clip for Upper Iowa. 

• UIU was whistled for 19 fouls compared to just 8 calls against WSU, contributing to a 16-3 advantage at the free throw line for the Warriors. 

• The Warriors snagged 8 steals compared to two from the Peacocks, leading to a 15-8 advantage in points off turnovers and a 17-9 margin in fast break points for WSU. 

• Upper Iowa passed the ball well as they dished out 16 assists compared to just 9 from Winona State.

PEACOCKS OF THE GAME… 

• Lydia Haack paced the Peacocks with 22 points on 9/19 (47.4%) from the floor. She also tied for a game-high with 4 assists and grabbed 3 rebounds in a game-high 39 minutes of action.

• Brooke Evenson scored all 12 of her points from behind the arc, shooting 4/11 (36.4%) from deep. She also led UIU with 8 rebounds.  

• Alaina Brenning notched 7 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal.

• Lexie Lodermeier tallied 6 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal.

UP NEXT… The Peacocks take a road trip to Kirksville, Mo. to battle the Truman State Bulldogs on Sunday, Nov. 28, at 2 p.m.