FAYETTE, Iowa – The Winona State University women's basketball team passed its first conference test of the season on Saturday afternoon, downing Upper Iowa by a 75-61 final for the Warriors' fifth consecutive victory. Emma Fee scored a career-high 15 points to lead five different Warriors scoring in double digits.
Winona State's offensive depth and efficiency continues to be a strength for the 5-0 Warriors who rank third in the NSIC in scoring average (79.2 ppg). WSU was aided in Saturday's win by 27 points from its bench as nine players put points in the scoring column.
Defensively, the Warriors forced 15 Upper Iowa turnovers which translated into 20 points.
Playing on the road, Winona State struggled from three-point range in the first quarter (0-7), but otherwise shot the ball well (8-11) on its opportunities inside the arc. A jumper by Taylor Klug knotted the score at 12-12 with 2:56 left in the opening frame and the redshirt junior connected again at the 1:21 mark to break the tie and give the Warriors a lead they would not relinquish for the remainder of the contest.
WSU found its three-point stroke in the second quarter (5-6) and took a 37-32 lead into halftime. Fee opened the third quarter with a three-point play in the paint to spark a 12-point run which saw the Warrior lead swell to 49-32. Meanwhile, the Winona State defense held the Peacocks off the scoreboard in the third frame until the 3:44 mark.
The home team slashed its deficit to five points, 59-64, with 4:47 remaining in the fourth quarter before the Warrior offense put the game away for good. Klug continued her strong day with back-to-back baskets on Winona State's ensuing possessions, and following an Upper Iowa turnover, Emily Kieck hit the dagger from downtown.
The Warriors owned a slight rebounding edge, 37-36, including 12 offensive boards which were converted into 12 second-chance points for the victorious side.
Sydney Lodermeier scored 13 points on 3-5 shooting from beyond the arc while Kieck and Klug scored 11 points apiece. Allie Pickrain, who missed the last two games due to injury, returned to score 10 points off the bench. Kieck dished out six assists and Lodermeier led the way with six rebounds.
The Warriors return to the road next weekend for a pair of conference tilts beginning at Augustana University on Friday, December 6.
