THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK MEN'S BASKETBALL…  The Peacocks are prepped for one more action in the month of December as they host non-conference opponent St. Cloud State at 12 p.m. on Tuesday. In addition to the color scheme of St. Cloud State fans, a red and white visitor from the North Pole will be making his way into Dorman Memorial Gymnasium for tomorrow's competition. Keep an eye out for Santa Claus in the crowd!
 
LIVE COVERAGE OPTIONS… There will be a pair of live options for those who are unable to make it to Fayette on Saturday. Both live stats and a webcast can be found through the links attached with this story. Fans can also refer to UIUPeacocks.com/Live for all links on each gameday. The game will be aired live on KCRG 9.2.
 
DIGITAL GAMEDAY PROGRAM… Fans can access an interactive and digital program for UIU's home contests at any time at UIUPeacocks.com/Programs. The digital programs are available to fans both at our games and those at home watching the action. QR Codes will be located around the facility to scan with your cell phone's camera that will link you directly to that game's specific digital program.
 
HIT THE REWIND…  The Upper Iowa men's basketball team came out with a chip on their shoulder in their last matchup as they trumped Truman State 105-79 in a redemption matchup after falling to the Bulldogs the Saturday prior on the road. The Peacocks grabbed their first conference win of the season and improved to 5-4 overall and 1-1 in the GLVC. 
 
UIU's defense held Truman State to 79 points in the contest, 18 less than they recorded the week prior in Kirksville. The Peacocks stayed on pace with their high-scoring habits as their total of 105 was 19 more than they tallied in their first matchup against the Bulldogs, and 16 more than their team average per game (89.4). 
 
Noah King led the squad with 23 points, going 9-13 from the floor and 3-3 from three-point land. Hilmer and Caleb Delzell each added 20. Delzell went 6-7 from beyond the arc, aiding the Peacocks in their 61.5% (16-26) effort from long distance. The Bulldogs shot 5-20 (25%) from downtown, where one week prior they netted over 60% against the Peacocks.
 
2,000 AND COUNTING… Graduate senior Jake Hilmer eclipsed the 2,000-point mark in Upper Iowa's last outing versus Truman State. He became the third Peacock to achieve this accolade, placing him third on the all-time scoring list with 2,001 points as of now. Above him in second stands 2022 graduate Joe Smodlt with 2,053 and the all-time leading scorer is Jim Bushkofsky (1970-1974) with 2,194. Hilmer's current 25 points per game puts him on par to climb into the number one spot by the end of the season. 
 
HIGH OFFENSIVE MARKS… Upper Iowa is currently leading the nation in assist/turnover ratio as they have dished out 121 assists and have only turned the ball over a total 59 times. The team is notched in 12th for free throw percentage with 78.5% (157-200). The Peacocks also continue to impress with their scoring habits as they rank 13th in the nation in points per game with 89.4. They showcase three double-digit scorers with Hilmer (25), Noah King (19.3) and Nick Reid (12.1). 
 
Hilmer remains on the individual leaderboards as he is fourth in assists/turnover ratio with 38 assists and only nine turnovers. He is ranked eighth in total free throws made with 65 (out of 70 attempts). 
 
SCOUTING ST. CLOUD STATE…. The Huskies are 5-5 overall and 2-4 in conference play. Their last two conference losses were decided by one point, as they dropped to MSU Moorhead 65-64 and then Bemidji State 103-102 in double overtime on a buzzer beater. In between those contests, they picked up their second NSIC win after downing UMary 68-61. Their other conference win was against Minnesota Crookston in a 64-60 final. SCSU is fourth in rebounds compared to the rest of the conference, hauling in 38.5 per game. The Huskies emphasize hitting the offensive glass, ranking third in the NSIC with 11.1 each contest. They feature four scorers above nine points per game, led by Luke Taylor with 11.9 and Lucas Morgan with 10.8. 
 
LAST SEASON'S MATCHUP WITH THE HUSKIES… Upper Iowa defeated St. Cloud State last season 72-57. Upper Iowa went into the locker room at halftime with a three-point advantage, 32-29, and a three-pointer by Jake Hilmer opened the second-half scoring and gave UIU a 35-29 lead. Over the next three minutes, the Huskies launched a 12-0 run to reverse the six-point hole into a six-point advantage, 41-35, fueled by scores from six different players. With just under 14 minutes to play in the game, the Huskies made a pair of free throws to give the home team a 45-40 lead, but Upper Iowa flipped a switch and dominated the final 13 and a half minutes outscoring their hosts 32-12.
 
During the dominant run, the Peacock defense forced six Husky turnovers and pressured the home team into 4-15 shooting from the floor. While the defense was flying high, the offense hit their stride converting 12-22 from the field including 3-6 from behind the three-point line paced by 10 points from Lucas Duax, nine from Nick Reid and seven from Hilmer.
 
ON THE HORIZON…  The Peacocks take a break from competition for the holidays and are set to return to action on Jan. 3 at McKendree in Lebanon for a 3 p.m. tip off.