FAYETTE, Iowa – Winona State University and Upper Iowa University traded the lead three times in the two minutes of play Sunday night as the Peacocks eventually prevailed on their home court by a final score of 82-76 in overtime to close out the 2018 calendar year of conference play.
Devin Whitelow's layup with 29 seconds remaining forced the overtime period before Upper Iowa outscored WSU in the extra frame, 17-11. The Peacocks led wire-to-wire in overtime.
Winona State falls to 5-7 (2-4 NSIC) and Upper Iowa improves to 6-6 (3-3 NSIC) as the Warriors and Peacocks split the regular season series.
Five WSU players scored in double digits Sunday as the Warriors were back at full strength with the return of seniors Tommy Gathje and Charlie Koontz to the lineup for the first time in three weeks. Caleb Wagner and Kevion Taylor paced Winona State with 14 points apiece. Taylor notched his fourth double-double of the year.
The Warriors pulled down 11 offensive boards in the loss, including four by Taylor, to lead the Peacocks in second-chance points, 14-4, but it wasn't enough for WSU to overcome a 38 percent shooting effort from the field as UIU shot 44 percent in its victory.
Winona State led by seven, 55-48, at the 7:45 mark of the second half on a layup by freshman Alec Rosner before the Warriors missed their next four field goal attempts. Upper Iowa eventually cut its deficit to one point with 3:06 left on the clock before pulling ahead 60-59 with 2:17 remaining in regulation.
Wagner answered on the other end with one of his two three-pointers on the night to put WSU back in front, 62-60. The Peacocks knotted the score on their ensuing possession ahead of a free throw by Taylor as the Warriors regained a 63-62 edge. Upper Iowa's Jareese Williams responded with perhaps the biggest shot of the night – a three-pointer on the other end to give the Peacocks a 65-63 lead with under a minute remaining. The home team went just 7-26 from downtown in the win, but that basket turned the tide ahead of Whitelow's layup to send the game into overtime.
Whitelow added a game-high six assists in defeat for Winona State.
After dropping five of their last six games, the Warriors look to flip the script in the New Year, as they did last season, with a pair of home games next weekend. Winona State hosts Minnesota State Moorhead and Northern State in McCown Gymnasium on January 4-5.
