THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK HOOPS… Upper Iowa men's basketball taps into the heart of the conference schedule as they face off against McKendree University on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. and Lewis University on Saturday at 3 p.m. They come into this week with an overall record of 6-4 and a 1-1 mark in GLVC play.
FOLLOW ALONG… There will be a pair of live options for those who are unable to make it to Lebanon on Wednesday and Fayette on Saturday. 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. The game versus Lewis (Saturday) will be aired on KCRG 9.2 at 6:30 p.m.
BEFORE THE BREAK… Prior to the holiday intermission, the Peacocks closed out 2023 with a convincing 115-84 win over St. Cloud State. Their high-scoring outing was fueled by the trio of
Jake Hilmer (36 points),
Nick Reid (22 points) and
Noah King (19 points). UIU led 56-38 at the half, executing several scoring bursts to keep pushing out their advantage. Upper Iowa outscored St. Cloud 59-46 in the second stint to claim the 115-84 victory.
The home team shot 55.6% from the floor and 51.6% from beyond the arc while the Huskies converted 41.6% from the field and 32.1% from long distance.
HILMER'S SCORING HABITS…. Senior guard
Jake Hilmer is second in the nation in points per game with 26.1, following close behind Kelvin Jones of Emmanuel (GA) with 26.5 per contest. Hilmer is shooting over 50% from the field, 40% from three-point range and 90% at the charity stripe. The Walker, Iowa native is 16 points shy of ranking second on Upper Iowa's all-time scoring list and 157 away from catching Jim Bushkofsky (1970-74) who holds the record for points in a career (2,194).
TAKING CARE OF THE BASKETBALL… The Peacocks take pride in their ability to handle the basketball as they currently lead the country in Division II in assist/turnover ratio with 2.16. The team has dished out 138 assists and only turned the ball over 64 times. They are also at the forefront in the turnover category with 6.4 per game. MSU Moorhead follows behind them in second with 7.7 per game.
HIGH-SCORING STUNTS… Peacock men's basketball has averaged 108 points over the last three games, surpassing the century mark in each of those contests. Upper Iowa is currently ranked 11th in the nation in points per game with 92. The team's 115 points scored against St. Cloud State is the most the program has recorded since the 2014-15 season when they defeated Iowa Wesleyan College 116-66. Upper Iowa men's basketball's record for points in a single game was set in 1972-73 with 131.
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS… McKendree University is 8-3 (2-2 GLVC) on the year. The Bearcats are on a three-game win streak against non-conference opponents, but dropped their last two GLVC matches at the start of December against Quincy (80-63) and Illinois Springfield (97-70).
Forward Milos Vicente is ninth in the nation in points per game with 22.8, shooting 55.9% from the floor. McKendree has two more individuals in double figures; Caleb Zurliene (14.8) and Carson Parker (10.8). Their top three scorers are shooting a combined 60.4% from the field, while the team leads the GLVC in field goal percentage with 54.3%.
SCOUTING THE FLYERS… The Lewis Flyers are 6-5 on the season and 2-1 in conference play. Their two wins in conference are over Southwest Baptist (87-66) and Drury (75-64). Their only loss in the GLVC is to the University of Indianapolis (90-76), who was receiving votes in the Top 25 earlier this season.
They are led in scoring by Beau Frericks who puts up 15.5 points per game. Frericks was the most recent recipient for GLVC Men's Basketball Player of the Week. The team has two other scorers in double figures; Gary Solomon (13.2) and Jamere Hill (11.8).
ON THE HORIZON… The Peacocks take on two more conference foes the following week in the state of Illinois. They travel to University of Illinois Springfield for a 7:30 matchup on Thursday, Jan. 11 and then head to Quincy University on Saturday, Jan. 13 for a 3 p.m. tip off.
