THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK HOOPS… Upper Iowa heads to the state of Missouri this weekend for a pair of matchups with William Jewell on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and Rockhurst on Saturday at 2 p.m.
FOLLOW ALONG… There will be a pair of live options for those who are unable to make it to the road games this weekend. 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.
RECAP OF LAST WEEK… The Peacocks grabbed another two wins last weekend on their home court as they defeated Drury 86-71 and Southwest Baptist 90-76. Against the Panthers, they started the contest down 5-2, but put together an 11-3 scoring burst to help find their groove. Upper Iowa held an eight-point lead in the first half, but ended up only leading by one (35-34) at the conclusion of the first period. Down the stretch, the home team held a 77-70 lead with one minute until the final buzzer sounded, but rallied off a 9-1 run to end the game and claim a 15-point victory.
The Peacocks concluded their weekend with a comfortable win over the Bearcats, as they led the entire game from opening tip until the final buzzer sounded. The Peacocks were hot from the jump as they got off to a 10-0 start. The game changer was Upper Iowa's ability to knock down shots from long range. They netted 13-25 (54.2%) from three-point land, and went 10-16 (62.5%) in the first half to help extend their lead. The Bearcats outscored the Peacocks 46-37 in the second half, but they could not catch up to the offensive performance UIU displayed in the first half.
CHASING THE ALL-TIME SCORING RECORD… Jake Hilmer is closing in on the Upper Iowa men's basketball all-time scoring record, set by Jim Bushkofsky after his career in 1970-74. Hilmer has accumulated 2,167 so far, aiming for Bushkofsky's mark of 2,194. With his current average of 24.4 points per game, the senior guard has the potential to claim the top spot on the all-time scoring list over the next several games.
KEEP IT ROLLING… Upper Iowa has witnessed a high success rate in the last month and a half as they have been victorious in eight out of their last nine games. The trend started on Dec. 5 as they secured a big win over North Central and have only conceded one game since then. Their last loss was to Illinois Springfield on Jan. 11 and UIU has won three consecutive games since then. The Peacocks have maintained a high-scoring mark as they record 89.5 points per game, which ranks them 13
th in the nation. Another nationwide team highlight includes their assists/turnover ratio of 217 assists and 124 turnovers (1.75), good for 4
th in the country in Division II.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE… The Peacocks have established a legacy of being highly successful in Dorman Memorial Gymnasium. This season the men's basketball squad is 6-0 on their home court. Over the last five years, Upper Iowa has put up a 44-8 mark when playing right here in Fayette, Iowa.
CLIMBING ON UP… After the completion of last week's games, the Peacocks scraped their way into second place in the GLVC standings. Upper Iowa has a 6-2 record in conference play, and trails the University of Indianapolis who is currently 8-1, surrendering their only loss to William Jewell (73-71) several weeks ago. Illinois Springfield and Lewis are tied for third, with a record of 6-3, while William Jewell and Missouri-St. Louis are tied for fifth with a 5-4 mark.
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS… William Jewell is fifth in the league with a 5-4 record and an overall mark of 11-6. They have handed the University of Indianapolis their only conference loss of the season, as they defeated them 73-71 on Jan. 13. The Cardinals split a pair of games last weekend as they fell to Maryville (61-59) and trumped Missouri S&T (78-72). They are fourth in the GLVC in three-point field goal percentage with (38.1%), second in free throw percentage (77.9%) and second in turnover margin with 3.59. They are led in scoring by Jordan Jermain and Kobe McKinley who both average 16.2 points per game.
SCOUTING THE HAWKS… Rockhurst sits in a three-way tie for eighth place in the conference standings alongside McKendree and Quincy, all with a record of 4-5. The Hawks are 8-9 on the season overall, and split a set of games last weekend after trumping Missouri S&T 91-79 and falling to Maryville 70-69. Rockhurst is third in the league in three-point field goal percentage with 38.5% and second in opponent three-point field goal percentage, holding other teams to 31.8%. They are led in scoring by Timaris Brown who nets 15.2 points per contest.
ON THE HORIZON… Upper Iowa is back at home next weekend for a pair of games as they host Missouri-St. Louis on Thursday, Feb. 1 and McKendree on Saturday, Feb. 3.
