Upper Iowa ended their last homestand in January on a high note, defeating the Southwest Baptist Bearcats 72-63. The Peacocks have improved to 8-6 on the season with a 5-5 record in GLVC play.

UIU was on fire to start the game as they quickly jumped out to a 20-8 lead, halfway through the first quarter. After missing their first three pointer of the game, the Peacocks quickly set the tone by making their next six shots from beyond the arc which were made by four different players. Katie Tornstrom made was on fire starting out 3-3 from three, while Mia Huberty, Alaina Brenning and Brooke Evenson each added another. Amelia Valentino would join the club, swishing a three pointer with 40 seconds remaining and the Peacocks would enter the second quarter up 26-17. UIU shot 7-9 from three in the quarter (77.8%) and eight of their nine made baskets were assisted on.

After the hot start, the Peacocks found themselves in a bit of a shooting slump, which helped SBU go on a 6-0 run, making it a three-point game. Evenson answered by making three consecutive layups and Huberty added a two-point jumper to make it a 34-25 game. After two scoreless minutes by both teams, Tornstrom and Valentino knocked down back-to-back three's, with Valentino's coming with four seconds remaining in the half. Tornstrom led all scorers with 15 points at halftime, which saw the Peacocks take a commanding 40-27 lead.

The Peacocks and Bearcats each scored 13 points in a third quarter, eight of which came from the foul line for the Bearcats. Evenson knocked down two three pointers in the third, and finished the quarter with seven points.

Upper Iowa entered the fourth quarter with a 53-40 lead and they built on that momentum all the way to the end of the game. Kayla Bohr and Huberty started the quarter scoring consecutive buckets in the paint to keep UIU's lead at 13 points. Tornstrom continued her dominance in the fourth, scoring ten points in the quarter on a pair of three pointers, multiple free throws, and a steal that led to a fastbreak layup. SBU was able to end the game on a 7-0 run, but it was ultimately not enough for them to complete a comeback as the Peacocks achieved their eighth win of the season by a score of 72-63.

Katie Tornstrom put together her second highest scoring performance of the season with 25 points on 8-15 shooting while going 6-12 from beyond the arc. She was terrific on the defensive end, hauling in 11 rebounds, recording five steals and blocking three shots.

Brooke Evenson added 18 points on 7-13 shots, going 3-8 from three-point range. She had the second most rebounds on the team with six and added a steal on the defensive end.

Mia Huberty and Alaina Brenning had nearly identical shooting splits as they each shot 3-6 from the floor and 1-2 from three. Huberty finished the game with seven points and a game-high six assists while Brenning scored eight points and dished out three assists with no turnovers.

Kayla Bohr finished with eight points and added three steals.

Amelia Valentino scored six points on 2-5 shooting from three-point range.

The Peacocks will travel back to the state of Missouri for consecutive road matchups. UIU faces William Jewell on Thursday, Jan. 25 at 5:30 p.m. and Rockhurst on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 12 p.m.