Upper Iowa brought their “A” game to Dorman Gym tonight for their NSIC matchup with the Warriors of Winona State.  The men in white took a thirteen-point lead at halftime and withheld Winona State’s rallies in the second half thanks to solid shooting and pressure defense throughout the night.  The Peacocks held their guests to just 38% shooting, while hitting on 47% of their opportunities. 

The victory marks the first for Upper Iowa against Winona State in their short Division II history.  The Warriors came into the game as the #8 team in the latest regional rankings, but the Upper Iowa snapped their current four-game skid with the big win and handed the Warriors their fifth loss in the last eight games.  The win also marks the first time the Peacocks have defeated a regionally-ranked opponent since the team’s win over U-Mary last year.

After the first eight minutes of the contest, the game was tied 11-11 although the home team had only converted on four field goals.  Neil Gross led the home team in the early going with 5 points.  With seven and a half minutes to play in the first, Winona State had their biggest lead, 18-15, but Upper Iowa closed the half on an 18-2 run.  UIU’s defense forced four WSU turnovers during the run.

Winona State whittled the lead down to eight, 41-33, after the first five minutes following the break.  Upper Iowa used four straight free throws and Gross’ second three-pointer of the night to push their advantage back to fifteen, 50-35, midway through the half.  The Warriors chipped a few points off the deficit over the next four minutes, but still trailed the Peacocks by twelve, 58-46.

Ben Fischer led the visitors on a 7-0 run with a pair of free throws, a baseline jumper and an assist on a Warrior trey to cut the margin to seven, 58-51, as the clock moved under five minutes.  Sam Elgin slowed the run with a short jumper.  Dan Bestul added a pair at the charity stripe to push the lead back to double digits, 62-51, but Anthony Tucker silenced the raucous crowd with a deep three.

Two Matt Lesan free throws and an old-fashioned three-point play by Tucker Wentzien gave the home team a thirteen-point advantage, 67-54, with just over two minutes to play.  Upper Iowa maintained their lead over the final minutes to claim the 80-64 win.

Four Peacocks scored in double figures led by Wentzien’s 18 and Lesan’s 17.  Sam Elgin made his second start and scored 12, while Bestul added 10 off the bench.  Wentzien pulled down 6 boards, while Lesan handed out 4 assists, while Jake Hughes, Cedric Collins and Bestul dished out 3 each.  Wentzien added 3 blocks on defense.

Clayton Vette led the Warriors with a game-high 21 points and Anthony Tucker added 16.

Upper Iowa (7-15, 6-12 NSIC) will journey up I-94 next weekend to face the Golden Eagles of Minnesota, Crookston on Friday night and the Dragons of MSU Moorhead on Saturday night.  The two NSIC tilts are the final road games for UIU in the regular season.