Senior wing Sam Elgin led the Peacocks in scoring
with a game-high 19 points, while Tucker Wentzien (pictured) added 16 on 4-of-12 shooting and 6-of-0 shooting from the free throw line
BY: Steven Wilson – Graduate Assistant, Sports Information (12/19/12)
Box
Score
The Peacock men’s basketball team might have thoughts of moving all of their home games to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on a permanent basis as the Midwest preps for the first big snowstorm of the winter. Upper Iowa put together their second straight dominant win in the historic Bloch Arena defeating the host school, Hawaii Pacific University, 83-63,and improved to 8-3 overall this year.
“It’s our best start since moving to NCAA Division II and we're 2-0 on this roadtrip heading into Christmas break so I'll take it," UIU head coach Brian Dolan said.
Bloch Arena, which opened at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard in August of 1941, has hosted Elvis Presley, the Harlem Globetrotters and 1941’s Battle of Music. The Battle of Music’s second semifinal contest was held on December 6th. The final contest scheduled for December 20th would have featured the bands from the Marine Barracks, the USS Arizona, the USS Pennsylvania and the USS Tennessee. The contest was, of course, never finished. On Sunday, December 7, 1941, shortly before 8 A.M., the base at Pearl Harbor was attacked bringing the United States into World War II.
Wednesday's non-conference game against HPU was UIU's final game in Hawaii and final game before the Peacocks longest break of the year. But that didn't mean the Peacocks weren't sluggish to start the game. HPU’s Malte Ziegenhagen hit a three-pointer at the 8:41 mark in the first half to give the home team its largest lead of the game, 25-18.
The Peacocks responded and closed the first half on a 16-8 run to take a 34-33 lead into the break.
Two minutes into the second half, the Sea Warriors fought back again. Ziegenhagen, who finished with a team-high 18 points, hit a jumper to give his team a 37-36 lead.
Tucker Wentzien answered with a 3-pointer to put UIU back in the lead and HPU never led again. The Peacocks outscored their opponent 44-26 over the remaining 17 minutes to seal the big win.
The Peacocks shot 48 percent from the field and have now shot over 48 percent in five of their last six games. That hot shooting has helped UIU score 64 points or more in six of its last seven contests and Wednesday night was no different. The Peacocks earned a season-high 83 points against the Sea Warriors, who have held opponents to an average of 72 points per game this year.
“We just have guys making plays and making smart decisions,” Dolan said about his team’s hot shooting over the past month. “We have a lot of seniors and they know the ins and outs of this offense. Someone different steps up for us each night – that’s just the way our offense is run. One night it’s one guy, the next it’s another.”
Against HPU, it was a handful of guys.
After only playing 16 minutes against the Oaks of Menlo College on Monday, Sam Elgin was counted on early and often against the Sea Warriors. He played a team-high 32 minutes and led UIU in scoring with 19 points, shotting just under 50 percent from the floor. The Center Point native also collected five rebounds and dished out two assists.
“He was much better tonight about letting the game come to him and that’s what Sam needs to do,” Dolan said. “The less he tries to force it the better he does.”
Elgin was not alone. Three other Peacocks scored in double-figures including Wentzien who had 16, Grant Lang who poured in 12, and Jake Hughes who finished with 11 points on perfect 4-of-4 shooting.
Defensively, UIU was led by 6-foot-4 guard David Smith, who recorded a team-high 3 blocks against HPU. Smith is now tied with Wentzien for the team lead in blocks with six.
“He does a great job for us and tonight’s really the first night we got him and Jake on the court together,” Dolan said.
Smith has been a bright spot for UIU on defense after transferring in from Drake University this past offseason. The redshirt-junior has seen valuable minutes against some of the best offensive teams around the country and he continues to impress. Against HPU Smith finished with six points on 2-of-4 shooting, while adding seven rebounds, four assists and a steal.
“He’s a strong kid with great lateral quickness and he understands his strengths and plays to them,” Dolan said. “The more comfortable he gets in the offense the better he’ll become.”
Smith also helped UIU hold onto the ball on offense. After committing the second most turnovers of the year on Monday against Menlo with 16, the Peacocks had only six turnovers against HPU.
“We had three or four of those in the first five minutes,” Dolan said. “It’s a process and we have to do a better job hanging on to the ball. That’s what practice will be for over the next couple of weeks – go back to the basics and continue to grow.”
The Peacocks will enjoy Hawaii for one more day as they soak up the sun and prepare for the holidays in style.
“We have a luau tonight, snorkeling and sight-seeing tomorrow and then a red-eye back home that night,” Dolan said. “The kids will go home until the 27th and that night we’ll practice and try to get better. We need to rebound more consistently, taking care of the ball better, play good team defense and shoot the ball a little better. That’s what we’ll be working on over the break.”
The Peacocks will be back in action on January 4th as they kick off the new year against conference-foe Sioux Falls. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 8 p.m. Dolan hopes his team is even better by then.
“We have a lot of growth ahead of us,” Dolan said. “Teams get better every time they step on the court and our goal is to be playing our best come March.”
The Peacock men’s basketball team might have thoughts of moving all of their home games to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on a permanent basis as the Midwest preps for the first big snowstorm of the winter. Upper Iowa put together their second straight dominant win in the historic Bloch Arena defeating the host school, Hawaii Pacific University, 83-63,and improved to 8-3 overall this year.
“It’s our best start since moving to NCAA Division II and we're 2-0 on this roadtrip heading into Christmas break so I'll take it," UIU head coach Brian Dolan said.
Bloch Arena, which opened at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard in August of 1941, has hosted Elvis Presley, the Harlem Globetrotters and 1941’s Battle of Music. The Battle of Music’s second semifinal contest was held on December 6th. The final contest scheduled for December 20th would have featured the bands from the Marine Barracks, the USS Arizona, the USS Pennsylvania and the USS Tennessee. The contest was, of course, never finished. On Sunday, December 7, 1941, shortly before 8 A.M., the base at Pearl Harbor was attacked bringing the United States into World War II.
Wednesday's non-conference game against HPU was UIU's final game in Hawaii and final game before the Peacocks longest break of the year. But that didn't mean the Peacocks weren't sluggish to start the game. HPU’s Malte Ziegenhagen hit a three-pointer at the 8:41 mark in the first half to give the home team its largest lead of the game, 25-18.
The Peacocks responded and closed the first half on a 16-8 run to take a 34-33 lead into the break.
Two minutes into the second half, the Sea Warriors fought back again. Ziegenhagen, who finished with a team-high 18 points, hit a jumper to give his team a 37-36 lead.
Tucker Wentzien answered with a 3-pointer to put UIU back in the lead and HPU never led again. The Peacocks outscored their opponent 44-26 over the remaining 17 minutes to seal the big win.
The Peacocks shot 48 percent from the field and have now shot over 48 percent in five of their last six games. That hot shooting has helped UIU score 64 points or more in six of its last seven contests and Wednesday night was no different. The Peacocks earned a season-high 83 points against the Sea Warriors, who have held opponents to an average of 72 points per game this year.
“We just have guys making plays and making smart decisions,” Dolan said about his team’s hot shooting over the past month. “We have a lot of seniors and they know the ins and outs of this offense. Someone different steps up for us each night – that’s just the way our offense is run. One night it’s one guy, the next it’s another.”
Against HPU, it was a handful of guys.
After only playing 16 minutes against the Oaks of Menlo College on Monday, Sam Elgin was counted on early and often against the Sea Warriors. He played a team-high 32 minutes and led UIU in scoring with 19 points, shotting just under 50 percent from the floor. The Center Point native also collected five rebounds and dished out two assists.
“He was much better tonight about letting the game come to him and that’s what Sam needs to do,” Dolan said. “The less he tries to force it the better he does.”
Elgin was not alone. Three other Peacocks scored in double-figures including Wentzien who had 16, Grant Lang who poured in 12, and Jake Hughes who finished with 11 points on perfect 4-of-4 shooting.
Defensively, UIU was led by 6-foot-4 guard David Smith, who recorded a team-high 3 blocks against HPU. Smith is now tied with Wentzien for the team lead in blocks with six.
“He does a great job for us and tonight’s really the first night we got him and Jake on the court together,” Dolan said.
Smith has been a bright spot for UIU on defense after transferring in from Drake University this past offseason. The redshirt-junior has seen valuable minutes against some of the best offensive teams around the country and he continues to impress. Against HPU Smith finished with six points on 2-of-4 shooting, while adding seven rebounds, four assists and a steal.
“He’s a strong kid with great lateral quickness and he understands his strengths and plays to them,” Dolan said. “The more comfortable he gets in the offense the better he’ll become.”
Smith also helped UIU hold onto the ball on offense. After committing the second most turnovers of the year on Monday against Menlo with 16, the Peacocks had only six turnovers against HPU.
“We had three or four of those in the first five minutes,” Dolan said. “It’s a process and we have to do a better job hanging on to the ball. That’s what practice will be for over the next couple of weeks – go back to the basics and continue to grow.”
The Peacocks will enjoy Hawaii for one more day as they soak up the sun and prepare for the holidays in style.
“We have a luau tonight, snorkeling and sight-seeing tomorrow and then a red-eye back home that night,” Dolan said. “The kids will go home until the 27th and that night we’ll practice and try to get better. We need to rebound more consistently, taking care of the ball better, play good team defense and shoot the ball a little better. That’s what we’ll be working on over the break.”
The Peacocks will be back in action on January 4th as they kick off the new year against conference-foe Sioux Falls. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 8 p.m. Dolan hopes his team is even better by then.
“We have a lot of growth ahead of us,” Dolan said. “Teams get better every time they step on the court and our goal is to be playing our best come March.”
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