FAYETTE, Iowa – The Winona State University men's basketball team closed out 2022 with a win on the road at Upper Iowa University, with the Warriors defeating the Peacocks, 81-68.
Senior guard
Luke Martens picked up where he left off prior to the holiday break, having scored a career-best 31 points against Augustana in a dramatic, double-overtime 82-79 win on Sunday, Dec. 18. On Saturday in Fayette, Martens was joined by a strong supporting cast that saw four Warriors reach double-digits.
Against UIU, Martens' final total was a more-modest 20 points but equally impactful to the end result for WSU, his effort falling just one point shy of Warrior teammate
Connor Dillon at 21, who led the team scoring.
James Kelley and
Connor Drew also reached double digits for Winona State with 13 points and 12 points, respectively.
Winona State showed no sign of rust coming off a 12-day layoff and owned a 40-33 lead at the halftime break.
In the opening 20 minutes, WSU was 15-of-25 from the floor and hit 7-of-8 free throw attempts. WSU led by as many as nine points in the first half and forced the home team into six turnovers in the opening stanza.
After the break,
Connor Drew scored the opening basket of the second half off an assist from
Owen King, and Drew's layup was followed shortly by a pair of successful free throws by Martens, allowing WSU to keep their collective foot on the gas pedal as the Warriors sought to distance themselves from the Peacocks.
Head coach
Todd Eisner's team continued to pull away in the final 20 minutes, powered in part by an outstanding performance at the charity stripe. WSU finished the game with an impressive 22-of-25 mark as a team from the foul line en route to the 81-68 final score.
In addition to their impressive performance on free throws, WSU parlayed a stout defensive effort into 17 points off Peacock turnovers and had a sizeable 46-14 advantage in points scored in the paint. On the glass, WSU out-rebounded Upper Iowa, 35-28.
Overall, Winona State was 28-of-51 (54.9%) from the floor and 3-of-16 (18.8%) on 3-point attempts. As WSU hit 22-of-25 (88.0%) free throws, the 25 trips to the line represented a season-high for the Warriors.
Connor Dillon was 7-of-14 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the free throw line to earn his 21 points, while Martens made 7-of-12 shots in the run of play and connected on five of his six free throw attempts. In addition to
James Kelley's 13 points and
Connor Drew's 12 points,
Owen King added three assists, three steals and six rebounds to the Warrior effort. Dillon was also tops in WSU rebounds with seven.
With the win, Winona State improves to 8-5 overall and 3-5 in NSIC action. For Upper Iowa, the loss drops the Peacocks to 7-7 overall and 4-4 in NSIC play.
Winona State is next in action on Friday, January 6 when they host the University of Minnesota Crookston. The Warriors and the Golden Eagles will tip off at 7:30 p.m. in McCown Gymnasium, home of WNB Financial Court.
