THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK MEN'S BASKETBALL… Upper Iowa (13-11, 10-8 NSIC) heads west to battle the Mustangs of Southwest Minnesota State University (14-9, 10-8 NSIC) and the Cougars of the University of Sioux Falls (16-8, 11-7 NSIC) in a pair of NSIC South Division showdowns. The Peacocks won the first match up with both teams, but all three head into the weekend looking to get back into the win column after losing on Saturday last week. Both the Peacocks and Cougars were swept in their two games, while the Mustangs were able to salvage a split. UIU will take on SMSU in Marshall, Minn. on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and then head to Sioux Falls, S.D. to challenge USF on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
 
LIVE OPTIONS… The games will have live options available for fans who can't make it to North Dakota this weekend. Live stats and a webcast will be available through links at UIUPeacocks.com/Live. In addition, the games can be streamed through most mobile devices at NSICNetwork.com/UIUPeacocks or through the NSIC Network app on your favorite streaming device.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS FOR UIU… For the season, Upper Iowa is scoring 77.4 points per game and allowing 76.9 to their opponents. UIU is shooting 44.6% from the floor, 33.7% from three and 74.8% (7th NSIC) from the free throw line. Ball security has been an important piece of winning for Upper Iowa this season as they have forced 299 turnovers, but only given the ball up 249 times or 10.4 per game, which ranks 12th in all of NCAA Division II for fewest turnovers and is the fourth-best mark in the conference. When looking at the difference between wins and losses this season, the Peacocks are 13-2 when they hold their opponents under 50% shooting, but 0-9 when their defense falters and teams shoot above 50% from the field.
 
LUCAS LOCKS DOWN ON DEFENSE… One of the top defenders in the nation, Lucas Duax has grabbed 206 career steals, which ranks second in program history only to Kevin Clipperton's 207, which he snatched from 1993-1997. This season, Duax is averaging 2.4 steals per game, which ranks eighth in the nation and leads all NSIC players. The Dubuque, Iowa product is averaging 17.0 points (11th NSIC), 5.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game and is shooting 54.4% (5th NSIC) from the floor and 74.4% (16th NSIC) on his free throws. Duax's career point total of 1,207 points ranks 21st all-time at UIU trailing Kirk Vidas, who scored 1,215 points from 1975-79.
 
JAKE GETS PRODUCER CREDIT… Jake Hilmer, UIU's starting point guard, is averaging 21.6 points (17th NCAA DII/2nd NSIC), 5.0 assists (28th NCAA DII/3rd NSIC), 3.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game, while shooting 45.9% from the field, 37.3% from three and 85.2% (5th NSIC) from the free throw line. His 1,661 career points rank seventh-best in Upper Iowa men's basketball history. This season, the Walker, Iowa product has scored 20-plus points in 12 games and surpassed the 30-point mark four times.
 
NICK CLEANS THE WINDOWS… Nick Reid, a junior forward, has registered seven double-doubles this season and is currently averaging 13.4 points, 9.0 rebounds (31st NCAA DII/2nd NSIC), and 1.0 assists while shooting 38.5% from the field, 35.7% from deep and 84.5% (7th NSIC) from the free throw line. The Central City, Iowa native scored his season-high in points at Minot State University with 27 and pulled down a season-best 16 rebounds in Florida against Elizabeth City State University.
 
ETCHING THEIR NAMES IN GLASS... Three Peacocks have climbed into the list of top 33 rebounders of all-time at Upper Iowa. Lucas Duax (451-29th), Dylan Jones (436-T30th), and Nick Reid (433-32nd) have all moved closer to the milestone of 500 rebounds in their career. Only 22 Peacocks have reached that mark on the glass. Keith Woolfolk holds the all-time record for rebounding with 1,473 boads collected from 1975-79.
 
FINAL FOUR… Last Saturday, the NSIC South Division standings tightened up when the bottom four teams beat the top four teams creating a difference of only three games separating first place from seventh place. Sioux Falls and Wayne State are both 11-7, one game ahead of Upper Iowa and Southwest Minnesota State at 10-8. Minnesota State University, Mankato is 9-9 in fifth place, while both Winona State University and Augustana sit at 8-10 in conference action. Concordia University, St. Paul is in eighth place at 6-12, but have won four straight and are the hottest team in the NSIC South at the moment. With only four in-division games to go before the end of the regular season, every game will have huge repurcusions on how the final standings and berths to the NSIC/Sanford Health Basketball Tournament shape up.
 
BE KIND AND REWIND... In the first match up of these teams, the Peacocks put together an impressive home sweep defeating USF 92-71 and SMSU 66-57. Against the Cougars, Upper Iowa shot 63.5% from the floor including 42.1% from deep while playing stifling defense. Jake Hilmer scored a game-high 28 points and added five assists as well. Reid scored 18 points and cleared seven rebounds, while Dylan Jones (12), Caleb Delzell (12) and Lucas Duax (10) all reached double figures as well. Kenji Scales led the Cougars in scoring with 12, while Matt Cartwright had 11 points on 12 shots and Jack Thompson scored 10 on nine attempts. On Saturday, the Peacocks posted a 66-57 win over SMSU. The Peacocks survived a defensive battle with the Mustangs as both teams challenged every shot attempt and limited offensive opportunities. Lucas Duax led all scorers with 28 points, including 22 in the first half, after knocking down 11 field goals with four three-pointers. The scoring outburst was one point shy of his career-high set earlier this season at Maryville. As electric as Duax was on offense, the Dubuque native continued to shine on defense with seven steals in the game, six in the first half, and five rebounds. Jake Hilmer scored 14 points with a pair of deep bullseyes and added six assists, while Nick Reid posted 13 points with two three-pointers and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds. Dunwa Omot and Anthony Costello each scored 14 points for the Mustangs, while Jakob Braaten added 10 points. Mason Lund pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds for SMSU.

TO THE FINISH LINE... The Peacocks will close out the regular season next Thursday and Saturday, Feb. 16 and 18. Upper Iowa will play at Concordia University, St. Paul on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and then host Minnesota State University, Mankato on Saturday as part of Senior Day in Fayette at 3:30 p.m.