ABERDEEN, S.D. - Down 26-33 at the half, the Northern State women (4-2, 1-0 NSIC) improved their game in the second period to sneak past the Upper Iowa Peacocks (4-6, 0-1 NSIC) in the 2007-08 NSIC opener on Friday evening.  The Wolves played short-handed with guards but still took the game 61-53.  They host Winona State on Saturday evening at Wachs Arena.

The Wolves trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half as the Peacocks rattled in seven three-point shots.  Northern turned the ball over seven times, leading to ten UIU points.  Already short a number of guards in the game, the Wolves suffered the loss of Megan Kusler late in the half, but they would rally back from their 26-33 deficit for the win.

The Wolves held the Peacocks to just seven field goals in the second half and a 24.1 shooting percentage.  They picked up their game and hit 12 of their own field goals and dominated the boards.  It took Northern until the 3:11 mark to gain their first lead, as Noelle Hall hit a jumper for the 54-53 lead.  The Peacocks scored a mere four points in the final 8:35 of the game as the Wolves stretched out a 28-4 run.  Senior forward Kimberly Lewis led the charge in the final minutes of the game, collecting rebounds and also dishing passes to her teammates for the score.

Noelle Hall marked a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Wolves to the win.  Lewis came up with seven points, eight rebounds and four assists.  Lennea Mueller filled in as a key guard for Northern on the evening.  She finished with seven points, four rebounds and three assists.

The Wolves shot 38.6 percent (22-57) from the field and had a rebound margin of +15 over the Peacocks (47-32).  Their free throw shooting was a huge part of their comeback charge, as they hit 15-of-18 shots.

Upper Iowa was led in scoring by guard Ashley Martin with 15 points.  Martin lit up the first half with 4-of-6 shooting from long range.  She finished the night with 5-of-8 three-pointers made.  Paige DeVine was another key player for the Peacocks with 12 points and a team high eight rebounds.  Britney Iredale and Andrea Downs each notched five assists.  The team shot 33.3 percent from the field and connected on 8-of-19 threes.