The Upper Iowa women's basketball team saw a matchup come down to the final minutes for the second night in a row, falling 68-64 against Augustana University. The Vikings jumped out to a 14-0 lead and built a 21-point advantage in the third quarter, but the Peacocks battled back to pull within one at 50-49. UIU's comeback came up just short as they fell to 5-17 (2-14 NSIC), while AUGIE improved to 12-7 (8-7 NSIC).

Mia Huberty and Savannah Domeyer each set season-high scoring marks and combined for 38 of UIU's 64 points. Huberty tied for a game-high with 21 points, shooting 8-12 overall and 4-8 from deep. Domeyer tallied 17 points and 13 rebounds, notching her second straight double-double and setting season highs in each category for the second consecutive night. The senior center shot a game-high 7-8 (87.5%) from the field while tying for game-highs with two blocks and two steals in 24 minutes off the bench. The rest of the Peacocks combined to shoot 11-42 (26.2%) from the floor. Jessica Musgrave added nine points, 11 rebounds, and four assists. Brooke Evenson hit 3-of-5 shots and 2-of-4 threes, contributing eight points, four boards, and three dimes. Katie Tornstrom added seven points and four rebounds.

Aislinn Duffy led Augustana with 21 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Laureen Sees notched 14 points and four rebounds, while Vishe' Rabb (10) and Janelle Shiffler (9) rounded out the top Viking scorers. The Peacocks outrebounded the Vikings 45-33, outshot the Vikings 26-62 (41.9%) to 24-65 (36.9%) overall, and were plus-15 from three-point range, shooting 9-26 (34.6%) while holding AUGIE to 4-21 (19%). However, Augustana was bolstered by a 16-3 edge in points from the charity stripe on 15 more attempts (21-6), in addition to 25 UIU turnovers that led to 25 AUGIE points. The Peacocks forced 13 turnovers but only converted them into nine points.

After going nearly two minutes without a point, the game was nearly decided in the first half of the opening quarter as the home team jumped out to a 14-0 lead in a three-and-a-half-minute stretch. Upper Iowa got off the mat and answered with an 11-0 run of their own, but the Vikings made a triple to close the first frame with a 17-11 edge. The second quarter was nearly identical to the first as AUGIE opened the period with a 13-0 run, pushing their lead to 19 at 30-11. Tornstrom and Huberty hit trifectas on consecutive possessions, but the shots were UIU's only makes of the period and the Peacocks faced a 35-17 halftime deficit.

The Vikings pushed their advantage to 21 points with 7:32 to play in the third quarter, the largest lead of the game. Huberty knocked down back-to-back threes to help the Peacocks claw back, sparking a 21-5 UIU run over the next six and a half minutes. Huberty scored 13 of her 21 points during the run, while Domeyer provided six points in the stretch. Over the run, UIU hit nine of their 12 attempts and shot 3-5 from distance while holding AUGIE to just 2-12 overall and 0-6 from deep. The stretch pulled the Peacocks with five at 45-40 before going to the final frame with a six-point deficit, 46-40.

Rabb put Augustana up by eight in the first possession of the last quarter, but Domeyer and Evenson each connected on three-pointers to cut the deficit to just two, 48-46. Huberty had a chance to tie the game after making a layup and getting to the line for two, but she could only convert one of the free throws to pull UIU within one at 50-49 with 6:12 to play. The one-point margin is as close as the visiting Peacocks would come as the Vikings hit five of their next six shots over three and a half minutes, including seven points from Duffy, to take a double-digit lead, 63-53. Evenson gave UIU hope with a three-pointer on the next possession, and a layup from Lydia Haack marked her first points of the game and pulled UIU within two possessions with 1:11 to play, 63-58. After a miss by the Vikings, a Huberty layup made it a one-possession game, 63-60. Sees knocked down four consecutive free throws to push AUGIE's advantage to six before Domeyer and Duffy traded two points apiece from the charity stripe. Musgrave made a final shot at the buzzer, but the Peacock comeback came up just short, 68-64.

Up next, the Peacocks return home to Fayette for their final homestand. Upper Iowa hosts Southwest Minnesota State University on Friday, Feb. 11, at 5:30 p.m., before seeing the University of Sioux Falls at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 12. UIU will then host two week-night games on Monday, Feb. 14, and Thursday, Feb. 17 against Iowa Wesleyan University and Minnesota State University, Mankato, respectively. The Peacocks play their final game on the road against Concordia University, St. Paul on Saturday, Feb. 19.