FAYETTE, Iowa - UIU men's basketball (7-1, 3-0 GLVC) plays two home games over the next week. The first is on Sunday, Dec. 14, against Clarke (3-10) at 12 p.m., and the second is against Roosevelt (Ill.) (0-6) on Thursday, Dec. 19, at 3 p.m.
LIVE OPTIONS
Fans unable to attend the two games over the next week can stay connected with a pair of live options available at UIUPeacocks.com/Live, featuring access to live stats and a pay-per-view webcast through GLVCSN. Fans can also refer to the links attached to this story for all live options.
In addition to GLVCSN.com, viewers can catch the Peacocks on the GLVCSN iOS and Android mobile app, as well as the GLVCSN app on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV.
DIGITAL GAMEDAY PROGRAMS
Fans can access the interactive and digital gameday program any time at UIUPeacocks.com/Programs. The digital programs are available to fans at our games and to those watching at home. QR Codes will be located around the gym to scan with your cell phone's camera, which will link you directly to that game's specific digital gameday program.
TICKET INFORMATION
New this year, tickets for all Peacock home events can be purchased digitally at tickets.uiu.edu. Single game tickets are now available online and at the ticket booth on gameday. If you want to pay in person, both Harms-Eischeid Stadium and Dorman Memorial Gymnasium are now accepting all major credit cards, checks and cash.
For Sunday's game against Clarke, all kids get in FREE. Bring the whole family for some weekend fun watching the Peacocks!
LAST TIME OUT
On Thursday, Dec. 5, Upper Iowa defeated Lincoln (Mo.) (4-4, 1-3 GLVC), 76-62, and on Saturday, Dec. 7, the team upset No. 5 Missouri S&T (6-1, 2-1 GLVC), 87-80.
The Peacocks controlled the entire game against LU. The team shot 27-for-48 (56.3%) from the field and scored 20 points off of 13 Blue Tiger turnovers. Trey Lewis led the team with 22 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Kyle Hrncir scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half. He also had six rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal.
Upper Iowa trailed by 45-34 at halftime against Missouri S&T. However, the Peacocks opened the second half with a hot streak, making 13 of their first 16 shots (81.3%) to take a 67-65 lead at 10:58. UIU didn't look back and outscored the Miners, 20-15 over the next nine minutes to secure the upset.
Hrncir starred in the game for the Peacocks, recording a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds. He added two assists and a steal in the contest. Lewis finished with 22 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Hrncir won NABC/D2CIDA National Player of the week and GLVC Player of the Week. He averaged 23.3 points, nine rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals over the three-game week that included a contest against Quincy (Ill.) (4-4, 1-2 GLVC).
NABC POLL
Upper Iowa received 24 points in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) poll on Tuesday. That was the 27th-most in the poll this week, and was 21 votes away from the top 25.
STATISTICS SUMMARY
Hrncir leads the Peacocks in points per game (ppg) with 20.5. He also leads in rebounds per game (rpg) with 9.6, and in assists per game (apg) with 3.3. In the GLVC, the Redshirt Junior ranks first in rebounding, third in points per game, eighth in steals per game (spg) and 10th assists per game.
Hrncir is fourth in double-doubles nationally with five. He also ranks 33rd in points per game, 22nd in rebounds per game, and 27th in total rebounds (77).
Lewis is averaging 15.6 ppg, 2.4 apg and 1.5 spg. Jack Miller is averaging a team-high 2.3 spg along with 10.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg and 1.6 apg. Tate Petersen is averaging 10.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg and 1.3 apg off the bench.
UIU averages 86.5 points per game and shoots 246-for-521 (46.4%) from the floor and 74-for-220 (33.6%) from beyond the arc. Upper Iowa averages 36 rebounds, 14.5 assists and 9.5 steals per game.
In the GLVC, the Peacocks rank second in points per game, first in offensive rebounds per game (13.5) and first in average turnover margin (+6). Nationally, Upper Iowa ranks 11th in turnover margin as well.
AROUND THE GLVC
Missouri S&T slid down in the NABC poll, from No. 5 last week to No. 12 this week. McKendree (Ill.) (5-2, 1-1 GLVC) had a 95-85 double-overtime win over Rockhurst (Mo.) (6-2, 2-1 GLVC) and a 63-58 loss to Illinois Springfield (7-2, 4-0 GLVC). The Bearcats had four votes last week, but did not receive any this week.
Illinois Springfield is the only 4-0 team in GLVC play. Upper Iowa and UIndy (5-3, 3-0 GLVC) are the two other undefeated squads. Missouri S&T and Rockhurst are tied for fourth at 2-1, and McKendree is in sixth at 1-1.
Jordan Rice (Illinois Springfield) leads the GLVC in points per game with 21.7, while Keion Epps of Drury (Mo.) (4-5, 0-3 GLVC) leads the conference in assists per game with 5.5. Rockhurst scores a GLVC high 86.8 ppg.
ABOUT THE PRIDE - Saturday at 12 p.m.
Clarke lost both of its games last week with an 82-64 loss to Graceland (10-2) on Wednesday and, 77-65 loss to MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) (8-5) on Saturday. The Pride have wins over Emmaus, Hastings College (Neb.) and St. Ambrose. The St. Ambrose win was the team's most recent on Nov. 12.
Senior guard DeMarco Clayton averages a team-high 20.9 ppg and a team-high 3.1 apg. Sunny Parker averages a team-best 6.6 rpg during the Tacoma, Washington native's sophomore campaign.
Head Coach Jim Blaine is in his 12th season with the Pride. Blaine has a program best 133 wins in his tenure.
ABOUT THE LAKERS - Saturday at 3 p.m.
Roosevelt lost, 73-55 to No. 14 Michigan Tech (8-1) last Thursday and lost, 85-64 to Northern Michigan (6-1). The Lakers are still searching for their first win of the season.
Upper Iowa beat the Lakers, 88-76, in the Midwest Crossover on Nov. 14. Lewis (16 points), Petersen (15 points), Hrncir (13 points) and Cael Reichter (12 points) all reached double figures in the contest. Hrncir also had a double-double as he grabbed 15 rebounds.
Jalen Windham averages 17 ppg, while Mikey West dishes out a team-best two apg . Davon Smith-Johnson and Griffin Yaklich average a team-best five rpg.
Windham scored 32 points and had four rebounds against UIU. He made 10 of his 20 shots from the floor and went 4-for-11 from behind the 3-point line.
Head Coach Dee Brown is in his fourth season and has an overall record of 53-39. His best season with the team was in 2023-24, where they finished the year 25-5 overall and 18-2 in the CCAC for the program's only regular season championship and a trip to the NAIA Tournament.
UP NEXT
The Peacocks play two away games in St. Louis, Missouri, to start the new year. First on Friday, Jan. 2 at 5 p.m. against Maryville (Mo.) (1-7, 0-3 GLVC) at 5 p.m. and then on Thursday, Jan. 4 at 3:15 against Missouri St. Louis (6-4, 2-2 GLVC).
