THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK MEN'S BASKETBALL… No. 22 Upper Iowa is on the road at Truman State University and Maryville University on Wednesday and Friday, Nov. 16 and 18. The Peacocks return a pair of home games from last season when UIU defeated then No. 2 Truman State, 103-77, and Maryville, 86-74. Both the Bulldogs and Saints compete in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Upper Iowa and Truman will get together at 7 p.m., while the Peacocks will line up with the Saints at 6 p.m.
 
LIVE OPTIONS... Fans that can't make the trip into Missouri on Wednesday or Friday can still follow along with a pair of live options. Both Truman State and Maryville will be providing lives stats and a webcast for both games. Links for all the live options can be found above or at UIUPeacocks.com/Live.
 
TOP 25 RESPECT… The Peacocks are currently ranked No. 22 in the NABC Preseason Top 25. Upper Iowa spent 14 weeks in the NABC Top 25 last season and finished the year ranked No. 17 after a five-point loss, 65-60, to No. 8 Augustana in the NCAA Division II Championships round of 32. UIU also grabbed a spot in the D2SIDA Top 25 for 12 weeks a season ago, but was not part of the D2SIDA Preseason Top 25.
 
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS... Upper Iowa's offense was a bit slow out of the gate last weekend as the team averaged 72.5 points per game, but their three-point shooting percentage of 24.1 had a lot to do with that. The Peacocks only converted 13 of their 54 long-range targets. UIU put 37 of their 70 two-point attempts (52.8%) through the hoop and added 80% shooting at the free throw line.
 
PEACOCK STANDOUTS... Four Peacocks claimed the majority of the team's scoring last weekend with Lucas Duax leading the way with averages of 18 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Jake Hilmer posted 16.5 points, four assists, and three rebounds per game, while Nick Reid averaged 12 points and 11.5 rebounds and Dylan Jones added nine points and 5.5 rebounds.
 
LOOKING BACK AT THE LOSS… The Tigers of East Central University outscored the Peacocks 46-32 in the first half and then maintained their advantage in the second half to get away with an 85-70 win. A pair of free throws by Lucas Duax led to a 10-7 Upper Iowa lead a little over five minutes into the game, but the three-point margin was the biggest gap that UIU could put between themselves and the Tigers. ECU launched a 21-7 run over the next seven minutes and held Upper Iowa without a three-pointer in five tries during the run. Austin Hilmer finally broke through with a three-pointer to cut the gap to 28-20 with seven minutes on the first-half clock. The Tigers kept the pressure turned up with another solid run that saw them increase their advantage to 16 points, 41-25. In the second half, the lead grew to a high mark of 23 points, 74-51, as Upper Iowa couldn't find an answer to get their offense in gear. The Peacocks finally found their footing late in the half and cut the margin to 11, 81-70, but the team wouldn't get any closer. Keyon Thomas led the Tigers with 28 points, seven assists and six rebounds, while Jakeem Acres added 17 points and Leonard Dixon scored 11 and snared five rebounds. ECU shot 54.5% from the floor and 44.4% from deep on Friday night. Jake Hilmer led three Peacocks in double-figure scoring with 17 points, nine of which came at the charity stripe; Hilmer added six assists. Dylan Jones recorded 13 points and picked up seven rebounds, while Lucas Duax scored 12 and handed out five assists. Nick Reid grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds and scored nine points despite a tough shooting night. Both Austin Hilmer and Carter Janssen scored eight points in their Peacock debut.
 
WINNING RECIPE AGAINST THE MULES… The Peacocks won the rebounding battle and held the Mules to 20% shooting from deep to secure a 75-70 win. Lucas Duax led the Peacocks with 24 points after knocking down nine of his 10 shots in the game including a pair of three-pointers. Duax also added five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Nick Reid posted his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Jake Hilmer was able to score 16 with two assists and two steals. Kobe Campbell came off the bench to lead the Mules with 17 points, while Mikel Henderson scored 15 and Gaven Pinkley chipped in 11 points and seven boards. Midway through the first half, the Peacocks used a 9-2 run to break a 10-all tie. The run was capped off by Max Duax's second three-pointer of the game. Central Missouri outscored their guests 17-13 to cut the gap back to three points, 32-29, with just over two minutes to play. UIU carried a 35-31 lead into the locker room at halftime. Three minutes into the second half, the Mules took a 39-37 lead when Henderson knocked down a three-pointer to put UCM ahead 39-37. The lead continued to change hands as the teams worked toward ties at 45-all, 52-all, and 66-all with just over three minutes to play. A three-pointer and two free throws, all from Reid, moved the Peacocks in front for good on the way to their 75-70 win.
 
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS... Truman State opened the season with a loss at Cedarville University, 79-51, but bounced back with a win over the University of Findlay, 85-74. Truman State averaged 68 points and 35.5 rebounds per game while shooting 40.7% from the floor, 31.9% from three and 85.3% from the free throw line. Elijah Hazekamp led the Bulldogs with 18.5 points and 13 rebounds per game, while Trey Shearer added 12.5 points and 2.5 rebounds a game.
 
SCOUTING THE SAINTS... Maryville scored a 72-61 win over Tiffin University in their first game last weekend, but dropped the second contest, 72-61, to Walsh University to split their weekend. The Saints averaged 66.5 points and 35 rebounds per game while shooting 42.7% from the field, 36.2% from beyond the arc, and 73.3% from the charity stripe. Ari Jackson returns this season to lead the Saints; in the opening weekend, he averaged 17 points and six rebounds per game. Dewayne Vass added 14.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and three assists per game and Dylan Ingram averaged 11 points and 3.5 rebounds for Maryville.
 
UP NEXT… Upper Iowa has another busy week ahead with the Northern Sun Conference opener at Winona State University and a trip to Daytona Beach, Fla. to compete in the Bahama House Shootout hosted by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The Peacocks will take on the Warriors in Winona, Minn. on Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 5:30 p.m. After the NSIC opener, UIU will head to the Sunshine State for a pair of games against Wingate University and Elizabeth City State University on Nov. 25-26; both games are slated for 7:30 p.m. (ET) starts.