FAYETTE, Iowa - Behind Amber Paden's career-best 19 points and some stifling fourth-quarter defense, University of Sioux Falls Women's Basketball defeated Upper Iowa, 72-62, to move to 8-0 on the season and tie last season's squad with the best start in program history. USF's eighth-straight double-digit win keeps them undefeated in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference competition at 2-0 while Upper Iowa drops to 1-7 overall with an 0-2 mark in league play.

Paden was key for the Cougars all night as USF's post players battled with foul trouble, including herself who finished the game with four fouls. For the night, Paden shot 7-of-9 from the field and hit 5-of-7 free throws to set a new career-high. Alison Klostergaard had her hand in nearly every play on both sides of the floor. She finished with 12 points and grabbed five rebounds, two on the offensive glass, while she finished with four steals and three blocked shots to get USF out on the break.

After shooting over 60 percent from the field in the first half, the Cougars finished the game with an even 50 percent from the field, hitting 29 of their 58 field goal attempts. The USF defense continued its stalwart start to the season, holding Upper Iowa to 37.7 percent shooting for the game, including a 30-percent mark in the first half. A blistering end to the third quarter for the Peacocks cut the once-20-point USF lead to six points, but Sioux Falls locked down UIU to hold them to six fourth-quarter points.

Sioux Falls built their early lead with the starters, but it was Paden's presence on the floor that helped push their lead over the Peacocks. Madi Robson got the Cougars going with five points, a layup and 3-pointer in the opening minutes, setting up Paden to go to work.

The senior from Thompson, Iowa first game the Cougars a double-digit lead with a reverse layup and after two free throws, she scored eight of the next 10 USF points. Paden hit a layup in the final minute of the quarter to reach six points and give USF a 22-10 lead at the end of the first.

After the break, Paden was quick to expand the USF lead, hitting two layups in the opening two minutes of the second quarter. She followed a Klostergaard layup with her two lay-ins, keeping USF ahead comfortably, 28-14.

The Cougars continued their easy drives to the basket, which allowed them to shoot 61.3 percent in the first half, and pushed their first-half lead to 20 points. Robson and Klostergaard hit layups on consecutive possessions and Teagan Molden converted her scoring drive on the next USF offensive opportunity. To cap off the 11-3 run, Alyson Johnsen hit her first of two second-quarter threes for a 37-17 advantage.

Upper Iowa clawed back with the help of a few 3-pointers, but Paden quickly thwarted the Peacock efforts with a three-point play, converting the free throw after a layup and foul to give her 13 points in the first half. With less than one minute to play, Johnsen knocked down her second three and USF took a 47-30 lead into halftime.

After the break, Sioux Falls kept pace with a more aggressive Upper Iowa attack, but were pushed onto their heels at the end of the third quarter. Knecht and Klostergaard kept the Cougars head by double digits with early layups, but UIU's Aleesha Cleaver began to heat up. Cleaver hit two 3-pointers in the opening minutes of the third quarter and set up Carly Pagel to cut the lead to single digits with consecutive jumpers in the fifth minute of the half.

Molden broke up Upper Iowa's run, with a pair of free throws and Taylor Varsho countered UIU”s Meyer's layup with a 3-pointer. Knecht followed Varsho's triple with a layup and USF led 58-45. Over the last four minutes of the third quarter, USF would score just four points, all from Paden, allowing UIU to cut into their lead.

The Peacocks quickly trimmed their deficit with a three from Megan Todd. Whitney Kieffer followed a Karlee Grabau layup with two free throws and then assisted Carly Pagel with a layup to end the third quarter with USF leading Upper Iowa by six points, 62-56.

A slow start to the fourth quarter favored the Cougars who managed a pair of layups from Klostergaard and Paden, which put her over her career high and put USF back on top by 10 points, 66-56. Upper Iowa finally scored nearly five minutes into the fourth quarter on a pair of Kieffer free throws, but they wouldn't connect on a field goal attempt until there was one minute left in the game.

Varsho answered Kieffer's free throws with a layup and she stole the ball and found Molden on the offensive end of the court for another easy layup. Molden then hit a turnaround jumper to give USF a 14-point lead, 72-58, with 4:20 left in the game, all but ensuring the victory.

The Cougars defense continued to stymie Upper Iowa's offense and four late points by Cleaver brought the final score to 72-62.

USF now heads to Winona, Minn. for a matchup of the final two unbeaten teams in the NSIC. Sioux Falls will face No. 10 Winona State (9-0, 2-0 NSIC) tomorrow, Dec. 5, at 4 p.m.