Upper Iowa women's basketball closes out their 2022-23 campaign after falling 63-49 to Northern State in the first round of the NSIC Women's Basketball Tournament. This was the first time they have qualified for the tournament since 2019, when all teams were allowed participation. The Peacocks finish the season with an overall record of 10-17 and conference mark of 6-16. Their overall number of wins is the most they have collected since the 2001-02 season (19 wins). Upper Iowa's six wins in the NSIC is the most the program has ever secured in a conference season.

The Peacocks held a two-point lead with seven minutes left in the contest, but went scoreless for four minutes before netting their last field goal with three minutes remaining. UIU only scored six points in the fourth quarter. Northern State went on an 18-2 slide after being down 47-45 to close out the contest and seal their victory to advance to the next round of the tournament. 

Junior Lydia Haack eclipsed the 1,000 point mark in this afternoon's contest. She finished the game with 15 points, ending the season at exactly 1,000 career points.
 
NSU not only ended the game with a large run, but they started with one, too. The Wolves outscored the Peacocks 17-3 with eight minutes left of the first period, giving them the 19-11 advantage after the conclusion of the opening quarter. 

Upper Iowa put together a better second quarter, opening with back-to-back three pointers from Callista Rochon-Baker and Katie Tornstrom. The Peacocks held the Wolves to 12 points and finished the first half down by four, 31-27. NSU's Kailee Oliverson ended the first half with 16 of her team's 32 points.

Northern State opened the third quarter on an 8-2 run, leading the Peacocks by ten points with six minutes left to play in the third quarter. Upper Iowa retaliated with a 10-2 slide of their own, fueled by their top-two scorers in the contest, Tornstrom and Lydia Haack. The run pulled them within two points of their opponents, only trailing 39-37. As UIU was down three with 30 seconds left in the third session, Haack converted two free throws and stretched out for a layup in the next possession to tie up the score at 43 going into the final ten minutes. 

Helen Staley and Lexie Lodermeier scored back-to-back buckets at the rim to give the Peacocks their first lead since the beginning of the game when they led 4-2. After the basket from Lodermeier with seven minutes remaining, Northern State went on their 18-2 slide to seal the game.

The Peacocks shot an overall 27% from the floor on 16-58 attempts. The Wolves netted 44% on 27-61 attempts from the field. Northern State outrebounded Upper Iowa 49-30. 

NSU's Kailee Oliverson ended the contest with a double-double, netting 34 points on 13-24 shooting and grabbing a monstrous 17 boards.

Haack led the Peacocks with 15 points. She added four assists and went 5-5 from the charity stripe. Tornstrom contributed 11 points and seven rebounds.