The Upper Iowa University women's basketball team dropped their tangle with Truman State University by a score of 77-51 in Kirksville, Mo. The Peacocks fall to a 1-4 (0-1 NSIC) record on the season while the Bulldogs improve to 3-4 on the year.
 
The Peacocks and Bulldogs went back-and-forth in the opening minutes of the first period before Upper Iowa took a 10-9 lead after Lexie Lodermeier converted an and-one layup on a fast break. The UIU lead was short-lived as TSU knocked down a three-pointer on the ensuing possession, and Truman State outscored UIU 11-3 over the final 4:41 of the quarter to take a 20-13 lead into the second period.
 
Truman State maintained the momentum and dominated the second quarter, outscoring Upper Iowa by a 20-4 margin. The Bulldogs shot just 8/19 (42.1%) from the floor and 2/7 (28.6%) from three, but they held the Peacocks to a 1/13 (7.7%) clip from the field and 1/4 (25%) from deep.

Mia Huberty came out hot in the third period as she knocked down a shot from deep to open the second-half scoring and went on to hit the next two Peacock shots, hitting two and three-point jumpers to score eight points in a 1:53 stretch. The teams matched each other with 15 points apiece through the first 7:47 of the third quarter, but the Bulldogs scored the final bucket of the period to bring a 57-32 advantage into the final frame.
 
The Peacocks opened the fourth quarter with a 7-2 stretch sparked by a three-pointer from Brooke Evenson, and the team went 2/2 from the floor and 2/2 from the free throw line in on their first three possessions to cut their deficit to 59-39. Huberty made a third-chance layup after two offensive rebounds by the Peacocks, and another make from behind the 3PT arc from Evenson gave UIU a 12-2 run to open the fourth quarter. Truman State stopped the bleeding with a layup and a three on their next two possessions to push their lead back to 20 at the 5:30 mark. The hosting Bulldogs would close the game on an 18-7 run to claim a 77-51 victory after 40 minutes of play.

STATS OF THE GAME… 

• The Bulldogs shot 30/62 (48.4%) from the floor while holding the Peacocks to a 19/55 (34.5%) clip, their worst mark of the season. Conversely, UIU (8/21, 38.1%) out-shot TSU (9/29, 31%) from behind the arc, which is UIU's best three-point percentage this year.

• Truman State controlled the interior with a 38-21 rebounding advantage, including a 9-1 advantage in offensive rebounds. The inside advantage also contributed to a 26-8 advantage in points in the paint and a 14-2 margin in second-chance points for TSU.

• TSU forced 16 UIU turnovers while committing 10 of their own. A 9-5 advantage in steals for the Bulldogs contributed to a 14-0 margin in fast break points and a 12-8 advantage in points off turnovers.

PEACOCKS OF THE GAME… 

• Mia Huberty paced the Peacocks with a season-high 15 points. She shot a team-best 6/8 (75%) from the floor, including a 3/4 (75%) clip from behind the 3PT arc, while adding an assist and a rebound.

• Alaina Brenning shot 4/8 (50%) from the floor and 1/3 (33.3%) from three, notching 9 points to go along with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal. 

• Lexie Lodermeier scored 6 points and led UIU with 6 rebounds while adding 2 assists.

UP NEXT… The Peacocks resume Northern Sun Conference competition with a matchup against Minnesota State University, Mankato on Thursday, Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in Mankato, Minn.