THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK WOMEN'S BASKETBALL… Upper Iowa returns to Fayette for consecutive home games against teams with winning records. The Peacocks host Drury (who are receiving votes for the WBCA Top 25) on Thursday, Jan. 18 at 5 p.m. before taking on Southwest Baptist two days later on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 1 p.m.
LIVE COVERAGE OPTIONS… Upper Iowa offers numerous ways for you to stay connected to women's basketball this week. Webcasts for every game can be found through the GLVC website at
https://glvcsn.com/uiu/. Live Stats and the webcast can be found at
https://uiupeacocks.com/coverage. Both links will be included with this story.
MAKING AN IMPACT… The Peacocks have put together a 7-5 record, going 4-4 in the GLVC which puts them in eighth place in the conference. As a team, UIU has averaged the third most points per game in the conference and they have three players that rank in the top 20 in scoring.
Katie Tornstrom is averaging 17.3 points (4
th),
Mia Huberty is averaging 15.9 points (10th), and
Brooke Evenson is averaging 13.0 points per game (20
th). Tornstrom has made a living at the three-point line, making the second most three-pointers in the GLVC with 35, while shooting 41.7%. She has been just as great in countless other aspects, averaging 6.9 rebounds per game and 2.5 assists per game which both rank second on the team. Tornstrom has also recorded a team-high 23 steals, highlighted by a six-steal performance against Truman State. Huberty has been the most efficient scorer out of the Peacocks big three, making 46.5% of her shots. She has served as the team's go-to playmaker, averaging 3.1 assists per game. Evenson has continued to make a solid case for GLVC Defensive Player of the Year, as she's one of only two-players in the conference to average at least one block and 1.4 steals per game. Her 1.3 blocks per game ranks third in the GLVC and she has averaged 1.8 blocks over UIU's previous six games.
Cassidy Pagel and
Sydnee Nelson are both coming off their best performances of the season this past weekend and will look to continue to make an impact. Pagel scored a season-high 12 points on 5-6 shooting and added six rebounds. Nelson had a great all-around game against Illinois Springfield where she scored seven points on 3-4 shooting while recording five rebounds and four assists.
Ava Privet and
Amelia Valentino have continued to light it up from beyond the arc as Privet is shooting 14-24 (58.3%) while Valentino is shooting 13-29 (44.8%).
SEASON HIGHS…
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DYNAMIC DRURY… The Panthers have had an impressive start to the season going 11-4 with a 6-3 GLVC mark. They are currently on a three-game win streak and are coming off a 101-64 victory over Missouri S&T. Drury are the reigning GLVC champions and they return last year's GLVC Freshman of the Year Reese Schaaf. Schaaf has averaged 14.9 points and a team-high 7.9 rebounds per game while shooting 56.8% from the field. She is coming of her season-high 29 points against Missouri S&T and has averaged 13.7 rebounds over the Panthers last three games. Fifth-year Beth Matas Martin has led the scoring effort with 15.5 points per game on 45.0% three-point shooting (45-100 on the year). Matas Martin has scored in double-figures in all but two games this season and her 35 assists are the second highest on the team. Junior Caitlynn Daniels has been Drury's best all-around player this season, averaging 12.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and a team-high 5.7 assists per game. She has shot 20-48 from beyond the arc (41.7%) and scored a season-high 29 points against Missouri Southern State.
BOUT WITH THE BEARCATS… Southwest Baptist began the season 8-7, posting a 4-5 GLVC mark. After a rough start to the season, SBU has found their footing, winning six of their previous eight games. The Bearcats have a lot of depth to their team as their leading scorer only averages 3.0 more points per game, than their eighth highest scorer. Leading that scoring load is senior Kallyn Stumbo as she is averaging 9.0 points per game on 47.3% shooting. She has been sensational on the defensive end, averaging team-highs with 6.3 rebounds per game and 2.1 steals per game. Junior Odett Schlegl and senior Karlee Holland both average 8.7 points per game, while serving as the team's go-to shooters. Schlegl is shooting 25-79 (31.6%) from beyond the arc and Holland has shot 28-78 (35.9%) from three-point range. Junior Tori Hamilton has been the Bearcats most efficient player, averaging 8.3 points per game on 56.0% shooting. She has added 6.1 rebounds per game and leads the team with 13 blocks.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS… The Peacocks will travel to the state of Missouri for a double-header weekend. UIU will face William Jewell on Thursday, Jan. 25 at 5:30 p.m. and Rockhurst on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 12 p.m.
