THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK WOMEN'S HOOPS… The Upper Iowa University women's basketball team will tip off the new year by matching up with Winona State University in an NSIC contest. The game will be played on Sunday, Jan. 2, at 3:30 p.m. in Winona, Minn.
 
LIVE COVERAGE OPTIONS… Live stats and a webcast for the game will be available through the links at UIUPeacocks.com/LIVE and included with this story. The conference contest will also stream live on the new NSIC Network app through Roku and Fire devices, as well as Apple and Android TV. Search for "NSIC Network" to find the app on your relevant device.
 
LAST TIME IN PEACOCK WOMEN'S HOOPS… The Peacocks hosted a trio of games in their last week of action, winning 100-51 against NCAA DIII Crown College on Dec. 14 before falling 73-52 against Augustana University (SD) on Dec. 17 and dropping a heartbreaker against Wayne State College on Dec. 18, 65-61.
 

• Against Crown College, each of UIU's 15 players recorded a bucket, and all but one Peacock grabbed a rebound as Upper Iowa neared record-setting point (100) and rebound (58) totals. Twenty-three of those boards came on the offensive end, leading to a 24-1 advantage in second-chance points for the Peacocks. UIU dominated inside with a 44-8 advantage in points in the paint while shooting 38-81 (46.9%) and holding the Storm to a 16-54 (29.6%) clip. Brooke Evenson led the Peacocks with a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double, Lydia Haack added 12 points and six assists, and Katie Tornstrom notched 12 points, three rebounds, three assists, and three steals in 12 minutes.

 

• Against Augustana, the Vikings took a quick 13-2 advantage, but the Peacocks responded with 12 straight, and the teams were tied through one quarter. UIU maintained the momentum and went up 27-20, but AUGIE closed the half on an 18-1 run to go up by double-digits at halftime. A 7-0 stretch in the third and a 13-0 run in the fourth put Augustana ahead for good. The Vikings shot a scalding 13-26 (50%) from behind the three-point arc, providing a 27-point advantage from deep.

 

• Against Wayne State, the Peacocks led for the entire first half and went up by 13 after hitting the first shot of the third quarter. An 11-0 run helped the Wildcats cut the UIU lead to 47-45 going into the final frame, and a 15-3 WSC run to start the fourth quarter put the visitors ahead by 10 with five minutes to play. Upper Iowa pulled within one with 14 seconds to play at 62-61. The Peacocks forced a turnover on the inbounds pass and had a chance to hit a game-winning shot on the final possession, but a missed three-pointer with one second left spelled heartbreak for the home team.

 
STUFFING THE STAT SHEET… Jessica Musgrave led UIU with 13.3 points, 10 rebounds, 2.3 steals, and one block per game over the three-game stretch. The redshirt sophomore enjoyed her best game of the week against Wayne State when she recorded 18 points and 15 rebounds, seven of which were offensive. She also added two assists, two steals, and a block. The 15-rebound performance tied for the fifth-highest total in the NSIC, set a career-high for Musgrave, and marked her third double-double this season.
 
1-2 POINT PUNCH… Katie Tornstrom and Lydia Haack each averaged 12 points over the trio of contests. Tornstrom knocked down four three-pointers and shot 54.5% (12-22) from the floor while adding three rebounds, one assist, and one steal per game. Haack tacked on 3.7 assists, 2.7 steals, and 2.3 rebounds per contest.
 
CROWNING ACHIEVEMENTS… Upper Iowa's big game against Crown College added new lines to multiple single-game records. The Peacocks cracked triple digits for the first time since 2015 when they scored 104 against St. Cloud State on Feb. 7. The UIU record book shows just four games scoring over 100 points, and this year's team has notched high-water marks of 96 against Southern Arkansas and 100 against Crown. The Peacocks also recorded 58 rebounds to tie for the fourth-most in UIU history. The total would have been the most since 2007, but the Peacocks pulled down a program-best 64 boards in their first game this season against Arkansas-Monticello. The Peacocks tied their second-most threes in a game by hitting 13, one shy of the 14 triples UIU hit against Bemidji State on Nov. 19, 2005.
 
WEATHERING THE WARRIORS, PT. 2... Winona State has played to a 5-6 (2-5 NSIC) record. After starting the season with a 4-0 (1-0 NSIC) record, the Warriors have gone 1-6 (1-5 NSIC). WSU's last action came on Dec. 17 and 18 on their home court, where they won 74-69 against Wayne State before falling 68-62 to Augustana (SD). The Warriors average 62.7 points while allowing 64.9 points per game. Taylor Hustad leads WSU with 12.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Emily Kieck adds 10.3 points and 3 assists, while Emma Fee contributes 10 points and 6.6 boards. Winona State was picked to finish 10th in the 2021-22 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll and fifth in the South Division. WSU ranks 14th in the 16-team standings and seventh out of eight NSIC South teams, each one spot ahead of UIU.
 
UIU VS. WSU… Winona State holds a 29-1 advantage over Upper Iowa in the all-time series. The Peacocks welcomed the Warriors for each team's NSIC opener on Nov. 23, and WSU walked away with a 73-69 win. 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. UIU held a 42-30 lead at halftime, but WSU flipped the script with a 20-0 run to open the second half. The Peacocks cut the deficit to just one at 63-62 with a 12-2 stretch to start the final period, but the Warriors held on to secure the win. Hustad led WSU with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Haack paced UIU with 22 points and four assists.