Those reading the official summary of the January 17 women’s basketball game between Wayne State (Nebraska) and Upper Iowa might think it was just another blowout between two conference schools.

Well, yes and no.

Wayne State did overwhelm the visiting Peacocks by a score of 89-28, but there’s more to the story than that.

The Peacocks arrived on campus with nine players, but only five dressed for the game. The other four – who happened to be the team’s top scorers – watched from the bleachers due to an unspecified violation of team rules.

In the locker room before the game, Upper Iowa coach Mike Brown reminded his team of the quote that hangs in its home locker room, a paraphrased quote from Martin Luther King that the true measure of a person is not how they behave in moments of comfort and convenience, but how they stand at times of controversy and challenge.

As the game progressed, the remaining Upper Iowa players showed how well they lived up to that challenge.

“They did a miraculous job,” Brown said. “They were the epitome of what college basketball is about.”

Six minutes into the game, Peacock player Lene Lox suffered an injury and did not return. Then, midway through the second half, Upper Iowa center Lyndsay Westgaard fouled out.

So then there were three. 

Upper Iowa played the final 11:34 with just three players on the court.

“Wayne State is a special place with good people,” said Wayne State’s first-year coach Chris Kielsmeier.  “I felt like everyone handled a difficult situation in a first-class manner. It wasn't fun for anybody, but I was very proud of the Wildcat family.”

As the teams left the court, the Wildcat fans realized they had witnessed something extraordinary – a rare game that doesn’t happen often in the college ranks. And they took the opportunity to show their belief in the ideal of true sportsmanship by giving both teams a standing ovation.

“That was something that was hard to do in front of God and everybody,” Brown said. “But the truly neat thing was the crowd gave us a standing ovation as we left the court after the game.”

Deb Harm is a member of the athletics staff and a journalism major at Wayne State (Nebraska).