THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK WOMEN'S HOOPS… The Upper Iowa University women's basketball team comes home to Dorman Memorial Gymnasium following a difficult road double-header against the Augustana University Vikings. The Peacocks were unable to get a win on their opponent's court over the past weekend as they dropped to a 1-9 overall record and were still unable to get over the NSIC hump, moving to a record of 0-8 in conference action. The Concordia University, St. Paul Golden Bears head to Fayette, Iowa after splitting a road double-header against the Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs. The Bears carry an overall record of 7-3 (5-3 NSIC) and are 3-1 on the road this season.
 
ATTENDANCE POLICY & LIVE OPTIONS… Fan attendance at the games this weekend is limited to invite only. Don't worry if you don't get an invite… we've got you covered with several live options. Live stats and a webcast will be available through the links at UIUPeacocks.com/Live. The games 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. Locally, Saturday's game will be broadcast on KCRG-TV 9.2, with Sunday's action being available on KCRG-TV 9.2 as well.
 
HOME IS WHERE THE HOOP IS… The Peacocks split last season's series with Concordia-St. Paul after each team won while defending their home court. The Bears won 90-39 in what was the final game of the 2019-20 regular season for both teams, but UIU claimed a hard-fought 65-63 victory the last time the two teams met in Dorman Memorial Gymnasium. Though the Peacocks are still looking for their first win at home in Fayette, the squad is playing much better on their home court than on the road and have played anumber of tightly contested games in Fayette. Upper Iowa is averaging 73 points per game in four contests at home, a mark that would rank near the top of the NSIC and just higher than the fifth place Golden Bears and their mark of 72.9 points per game on the season. Conversely, the Peacock team has been held to 48.3 points per game on the road, and that number drops to 41.3 points in road NSIC matchups. UIU has allowed their opponents to score more in Fayette as well (83.5 ppg vs. 74.8 ppg away), but the fact that the Peacocks are only getting outscored by a little over 10 points at home compared to 27.5 points on the road is encouraging. The rims in Dorman Memorial Gymnasium have been friendlier to Upper Iowa thus far as the team shoots an impressive 35.6% from 3PT territory as the host compared to 16.9% as the visiting squad. Brooke Evenson ranks second on the team with a scoring average of 8.9 points per game on the year, and she seems to get a home-court boost when playing in Fayette as her scoring average rises to 14.8 points per game on her home floor.
 
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN BEARS… The Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball team finished the 2019-20 season with a 15-14 overall record that included a 12-10 mark in NSIC play. The Golden Bears were picked to finish seventh in the NSIC South Division but their 7-3 overall mark and 5-3 NSIC record has them sitting at fourth in the division. Their seven overall wins are tied for the most wins in the NSIC, and their five conference wins are tied for second in the conference with two other South Division squads. Senior guard Riley Wheatcraft leads the scoring attack for the Bears with 14.6 points per contest while adding 5.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1 block per game. Her 47.2% shooting from the field ranks fifth in the NSIC, and her 19 makes on 48.7% shooting from three lead the team. Freshman Lindsey Becher averages 12.8 points, a team-high 5.7 rebounds, and a conference-high 3.8 blocks per game. Megan DuBois contributes 9.5 points and a team-high 4.1 assists per game, ranking third in the conference in that department. CSP ranks first in the NSIC in defensive field goal percentage (31.5%), 3PT percentage (40.2%), blocked shots per game (7.8), and assists per game (15.2). The Bears also rank third in the NSIC in field goal percentage (43.8%).