WINONA, Minn. – It was not the season opener the Winona State men's basketball team had hoped for, falling to Wisconsin-La Crosse 59-55 in front of 1,407 fans inside McCown Gym.

The Warriors controlled a 33-21 lead at halftime, but UWL outscored Winona State 38-22 to mount a big comeback and pull off the upset.

WSU played relatively well in the first half, led by 11 points from Riley Bambenek – who was 4-for-6 from the field and 2-of-3 from long range in the opening 20 minutes. Kyle Bauman was a force defensively, picking up seven rebounds as the Warriors as a team shot 50 percent to build the double-digit halftime lead.

The story was far different in the second half, however, as the Warriors struggled to find their shooting touch, and the result was a 28 percent shooting half while making just seven of 25 shots. For the game, the Warriors shot 40 percent while the Eagles shot 36 percent.

Mark Blacklock hit a 3-pointer with 5:24 to play to give the Warriosrs a seven point lead at 50-43, but UWL countered with back-to-back shots from distance to close to within one with 3:53 to play. After Bambenek hit one of two free throws, UWL hit both on the following possession to bring itself even at 51-51 and then hit a three ball to take a 54-51 lead. Bambenek later hit another 3-pointer to tie it back up at 55-55, but UWL hit four free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

Blacklock finished with 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting. UWL's Cale Zuiker hit five three pointers en route to a game-high 26 points.

WSU outrebounded the Eagles 38-27, including a game-high 11 from Bauman.

Winona State (0-1) well have a quick turnaround as they look to get back on track Tuesday when Clarke University visits Winona for a 7 p.m. tipoff in McCown Gym.