WINONA, Minn. - The Winona State University men's basketball team came out firing on all cylinders and defended with tenacity against #13 Upper Iowa University on Sunday, Jan. 2. In doing so, the Warriors earned their second win over a nationally-ranked team this season, beating the Peacocks, 73-68 in overtime.
Showing no signs of rust after a three-week layoff, Winona State rose to the challenge against UIU, battling back from a nine-point second half deficit to force overtime and then took care of business in the extra five-minute frame. For Upper Iowa, the loss was only their second of the 2021-22 season, dropping them to 12-2 overall and 6-2 in league play.
The Warriors led by as many as 13 points in the first half, before the Peacocks chipped away and closed the gap to send the teams into the locker room with Winona State in the lead, 33-27 at the intermission.
However, UIU took advantage of cold Warrior shooting to start the second half, going on a 7-0 run after the break. After taking a lead over Winona State, UIU held the Warriors at bay for much of the second half as the two teams traded buckets and fouls for much of the second stanza.
With four minutes to go in the game,
Devin Whitelow grabbed a key defensive rebound on a Peacock miss and sparked a 6-point Warrior run to close the scoreline to 63-61. Whitelow's efforts were followed by an acrobatic driving layup by
Luke Martens which tied the game at 63 with 1:50 to go, bringing the fans from both teams to their feet.
UIU scored on their ensuing possession, but Whitelow again had the answer, earning a pair of free throws which he calmly drained, tying the game once more, this time at 65 apiece.
Playing for the last shot of the game and with the Warriors having a foul to give, Upper Iowa wound the clock down to under six seconds. Inbounding from their sideline just over half-court, the Warriors forced Upper Iowa into a long-range three-pointer at the buzzer which was off the mark.
In overtime, WSU held Upper Iowa to just three points and pulled away for the victory, 73-68.
Alec Rosner and
Devin Whitelow accounted for all eight Warrior points in the overtime period, while
Luke Martens hauled in a pair of rebounds late in the OT to snuff out any threat of a late UIU comeback.
Defensively, Winona State held Upper Iowa to their lowest first-half point total of 2021-22 in a physical opening 20 minutes of play. Overall, even with the extra five minutes of overtime, Upper Iowa had their lowest-scoring outing of the year against a motivated WSU defense; until meeting the Warriors, Upper Iowa's lowest point output had come in a 69-66 win over Pittsburg State.
Individually,
Devin Whitelow had a season-high 21 points to lead Winona State. The senior spark plug was effective at both ends of the floor, going 8-of-11 overall and was perfect from both the foul line (4-of-4) and from behind the arc (1-of-1). The Peoria, Ill. product had three assists and two rebounds in 40 minutes of Warrior work and his defensive presence disrupted much of the UIU offense which was averaging a NSIC-best 89 points per game.
Alec Rosner scored 20 total points in the game - 12 in the first half - in another stellar performance for the Warriors. Rosner also hauled in 14 rebounds, a key part of the grit showed by Winona State in the statement win. Additionally,
Luke Martens earned his third double-double of the season with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Martens first double-double of the season came in the Winona State victory over then-ranked #17 Minnesota State, 73-59 on Dec. 4.
As a team, Winona State shot 42.2% for the game from the floor and were 6-of-19 from 3-point territory. WSU hit 13 of their 16 foul shots and out-rebounded Upper Iowa 41-32 in the game. Rosner and Martens led the Warriors on the boards with 14 rebounds each, with the two teammates tying for the season-high in that category. Defensively, WSU held UIU to a 29-of-71 effort from the floor and the Peacocks struggled from the foul line at 3-for-7 on the day.
For Upper Iowa, the Peacocks were led in scoring by Jake Hilmer with 21, while Joe Smoldt and Nick Reid both had 11 points. UIU maintained a presence in the lane, blocking ten Warrior shots on the day.
Winona State (7-3, 3-3 NSIC South) will travel to Bemidji State on Friday, Jan. 7 and Minnesota-Crookston on Jan. 8. for a pair of NSIC contests.
For the most up-to-date news in Warrior Athletics, please visit: www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and @WinonaStateATH.
About Winona State University Athletics:
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 (NSIC). Winona State University competes as an affiliate member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in the sport of women's gymnastics
