LIBERTY, Mo. - Ellie Foster scored 20 points, Ava Privet scored 15 points and Josie Foster added 10 points in Upper Iowa's (9-9, 5-5 GLVC) 68-53 win over William Jewell (0-16, 0-10 GLVC) on Thursday night. 12 of Upper Iowa's 23 made field goals were 3-pointers, which is the third-most the team has made in a game this season.
The Peacocks never led in the first quarter, with William Jewell answering every chance for UIU to lead. After a 3-pointer by Ellie Foster tied the game at 16-16, the Cardinals ended the opening period with a 7-0 run in the last 1:22 for a 23-16 advantage.
Kenzie Deaton knocked down a 3-pointer on the opening possession of the second quarter. Trailing 26-19 later, the Peacocks went on a 12-0 run to take a five-point lead. Privet knocked down a 3-pointer after an offensive rebound by Josie Foster for the 27-26 lead.
Upper Iowa never trailed in the game again. After a Jalea Price 3-pointer cut the UIU lead down to 32-31, Ellie Foster knocked down a 3-pointer, and Sydnee Nelson made a layup to take a 37-31 lead into the break.
The Peacocks scored the first five points of the second half for a 42-31 lead. Privet knocked down a 3-pointer, then stole the ball and found Josie Foster for a layup. Back-to-back 3-pointers by William Jewell cut the lead down to 45-42 later in the quarter.
Bryar Duwe responded with a 3-pointer followed by a Josie Foster layup through contact, stopping the Cardinal run to lead, 50-42. The Peacocks led 54-46 heading into the final quarter after Ellie Foster hit a signature step-back 3-pointer.
In the fourth quarter, Privet knocked down a 3-pointer with 5:46 left to give the Peacocks a 61-48 lead, their largest up to that point. An Ellie Foster step-back 3-pointer with 1:31 left gave UIU a 66-51 lead, and Duwe knocked down free throws to bring the final score to 68-53.
This marked Ellie Foster's third 20-point game of the season, tying her second-highest total with 20 points against Lewis (Ill.) (10-6, 6-2 GLVC) on Jan. 10. She made a season-high six 3-pointers, going 6-10 (60%) from behind the arc and 7-of-14 (50%) from the field. The graduate added five rebounds and a team-high three blocked shots.
Privet's 15 points came on a 6-of-16 (37.5%) shooting night. She added four rebounds, two assists and tied for a team-high three steals. Josie Foster scored 10 points in her first career-start, marking the freshman's fourth game this season in double digits. She also had six rebounds, an assist and a steal.
Duwe finished with nine points and five rebounds off the bench. Lodermeier totaled eight points and a team-high seven rebounds. The freshman also tied for the team-high in steals with three while adding two assists.
Nelson and Deaton each finished with three points. Nelson added five rebounds and two assists. The junior guard was a team-best +18 while on the court. Deaton tallied a rebound, an assist and a steal.
The Cardinals were led by Syderah Farmer with 17 points and nine rebounds. Alex McGarrah added 13 points while Price finished with eight points. Price played the entire game.
Upper Iowa finished the game 23-of-65 (37.5%) from the field, marking the team's lowest shooting percentage in a win this season. UIU held William Jewell to 20-of-59 (33.9%), which is the lowest a team has shot against the Peacocks in 2025-26.
The rebounding numbers were even, with UIU holding a slight 44-43 advantage and an 11-8 advantage on the offensive glass. That helped the Peacocks have a 9-2 scoring advantage on second-chance points. Both teams scored 13 points off turnovers, but Upper Iowa had a 16-0 advantage on fast breaks.
UIU led for 25:52, while WJC led for 10:56. The game only featured one lead change with five ties. The Peacocks finished the game with their biggest lead of 15 points.
The Peacocks stay in the Kansas City area during the brutally cold weekend. UIU takes on Rockhurst on Saturday at noon in the Mason-Halpin Field House. The Hawks fell to Lewis, 93-44, on Thursday evening.
