Upper Iowa battled Minnesota Crookston in their second matchup of the weekend, but came up short in an 82-78 final. The Peacocks were down by two going into the fourth quarter, but could not combat the 7-1 scoring run the Golden Eagles opened with in the final ten-minute segment. The loss drops UIU to 6-9 overall and 2-8 in conference. The victory for UMC brings them to 8-8 (7-3 NSIC).

The first quarter consisted of runs from both squads as each attempted to get into a scoring rhythm. UMC began with several buckets to open up the game, but UIU answered right back with ten straight points. In return, Minnesota Crookston closed the period on a 12-3 run, leading the way 22-20. 

Senior Brooke Evenson opened the second quarter on a 9-0 run for the Peacocks with three buckets at the rim and one triple. This propelled Upper Iowa to a 39-36 lead going into halftime. UIU concluded the first two periods shooting 50% from downtown (6-12) and 42% (14-33) from the field.

Right as UIU was heating up, they cooled off in the third, scoring 15 points and only shooting 23% (5-21) from the field. UMC rallied with back-to-back three-pointers to give them the lead which pushed them to close out the quarter with the 56-54 advantage.

The Golden Eagles carried their momentum into the last ten minutes of the competition. They opened on a 7-1 run that kept them just out of reach from the Peacocks for the remainder of the game.  Minnesota Crookston shot 53.3% (8-15) and converted 10-11 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter, securing their victory.

Lydia Haack led Upper Iowa with 25 points, shooting 4-6 beyond the arc. Evenson added 19 points and Mia Huberty contributed 13. 

Alex Page netted 29 points for Minnesota Crookston, shooting 9-13 from the field, 3-4 from long distance and 8-8 from the line.

The Peacocks are back in action for two more NSIC games next weekend. They start off at Minnesota Duluth on Friday, Jan. 13 with a 5:30 p.m. tip off. They travel to St. Cloud State the following day for a 3:30 p.m. start.