FAYETTE, Iowa – The Winona State University men's basketball team saw Upper Iowa start hot in their matchup with the Peacocks on Tuesday, and in the end, the Warriors were unable to close the gap, falling 85-72.

While both teams launched 32 shots from the floor in the first half, UIU made 18, compared to 13 for Winona State, and that was the difference in the deficit facing the Warriors, down 45-33 at the break. The Peacocks received 21 points from non-starters in the first half, while WSU was better in the blocks, scoring 30 points from post play in the opening 20 minutes, compared to 22 for the hosts.

The second half saw Owen King heat up for Winona State, as he scored 14 points on a 6-of-13 shooting night, while Alec Rosner led WSU in scoring with 15 points. Luke Martins continued his Warrior effort on the boards, leading WSU in rebounds with nine rebounds and chipping in 12 points and Devin Whitelow contributed 13 points, three assists and a pair of steals.

With under four minutes to go, WSU went on a run to close the score to 74-68 UIU, but Upper Iowa was able to slow the pace of play and earn some trips to the foul line. The Peacocks pulled away at that point, with the final ledger showing 85-72 UIU.

Jareese Williams proved tough to stop for Winona State, as he led UIU with 18 points; Connor Duax had seven rebounds for the Peacocks.

In terms of team stats, Winona State shot 46.2% for the game and UIU finished 30-of-58, good for 51.7%. UIU was 12-of-32 from behind the arc, while Winona State was 4-of-22.

Winona State (3-1, 0-1 NSIC) returns to action on Friday, Nov. 26 at the Minnesota State – Moorhead Thanksgiving Classic. There, Winona State will face the MSU-M Dragons on Friday and the University of Mary on Saturday. Both games are set for 1pm start times.

 

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The Winona State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, as an integral part of the educational mission of the institution, is committed to offering opportunities to experience academic and athletic excellence for our student-athletes through two simple words: Graduate Champions.  

Fourteen Warrior programs compete at the NCAA Division II level within the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference