Box Score Photo Gallery
Records
Upper Iowa (3-7, 1-3 NSIC) || Southwest Minnesota State (5-4, 3-1 NSIC)
Recap
After a close first half, the Upper Iowa Men's Basketball team couldn't keep up with the red-hot shooting Mustangs of Southwest Minnesota State in the second period. SMSU outscored the Peacocks by eight in the final 20 minutes thanks to an astonishing 72-percent shooting clip. The Mustangs had five players finish in double-figures as they took the 83-73 NSIC victory over UIU in Dorman Gym.
The loss marks the second consecutive loss at home for UIU, while the Mustangs have now won three in a row.
Joey Woods led all scorers with 20 points, while
Grant Lang and
Josh Weeber both finished in double-figures. The Peacocks shot 44-percent from the field and 48-percent in the second half, but the defense remained a problem, especially down the stretch.
The Mustangs capitalized on a two-point halftime lead as they extended their lead to double-digits early in the second half and kept the deficit at 10 or more points for the final 13 minutes. It was a dominating performance compared to the opening half.
The Peacocks had a fairly quick start as they jumped out to an 8-5 lead.
Bo Pagel highlighted the three and a half-minute stretch to start the game with a three-ball from the top of the key, but the momentum didn't last very long. The Mustangs bounced right back to tie the game at 16-16 nearly midway through the first half.
A three from
Josh Weeber put the Peacocks out in front, 19-16, with 10:13 left in the first half, but SMSU answered with back-to-back jumpers to take a 20-19 lead.
The Peacocks used an 8-0 run capped by another trey from Weeber to take their largest lead of the night, 27-20.
David Smith started the run with a free throw, while
Grant Lang and
Jimmy Roth both contributed two points each. The Mustangs answered with nine straight points, six of which came from 6-foot-9 post Nick Smith, as SMSU retook the lead, 29-27, with 4 minutes remaining in the half.
Weeber added to his impressive offensive outing with a layup on the very next possession, tying the game at 29-29. The game was still tied, this time at 34-all, at the two minute mark after two free throws from Woods. The Mustangs finished the first half with another bucket from Smith and took a 38-36 lead into the break.
Weeber and Smith were tied at intermission with 12 points each, leading their respective teams in scoring as both shot over 50-percent from the floor in the opening stanza.
The break didn't help the Peacocks as UIU was outscored 22-10 in the first eight minutes of the second half. The Mustangs' William Giddings – who finished second on the team with 15 total points – capped the run with an emphatic dunk as SMSU took a double-digit lead, 60-46.
Despite Woods hitting the 20-point plateau and Weeber and Lang both hitting double-digits, the Peacocks struggled to cut into the SMSU lead late in the game. UIU pulled within 10 points down the stretch, but it was too little, too late. The Mustangs were able to seal the victory, 83-73.
With 20 points on Friday night, Woods surpassed the 500-point mark in his UIU career. He currently sits at 511 since transferring to Fayette from Bethune-Cookman.
UIU Standouts
Woods (20 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals), Weeber (19 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal), Lang (13 points, 1 block, 1 assist), Roth (9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals).
Stat of the Game
For the first time since 2008, the Peacocks allowed an opponent to shot over 60-percent from beyond the arc. The Mustangs hit 8-of-13 treys for a 61-percent shooting clip on Friday.
Sounding Off
Head Coach Brooks McKowen After the Game...
On the Game.... "The biggest thing tonight was our intensity in the second half. We wanted to be that team that came out with a lot of energy and excitement in the first five minutes, but it didn't happen. We had a couple of shots that didn't go our way and we let that dictate our defensive mentality. We had to help a lot on defense tonight because they have some good athletes, who can drive to the hoop at will. That left some of their shooters open and tonight, they were able to knock down those shots. That started a pretty good run for them and we weren't able to catch up. We never made that run - the one we're so used to seeing every game - because we weren't able to consistently stop them on offense."
On the Leading Scorers Josh Weeber and Joey Woods... "Josh has been outstanding as a freshman. He's going to have some mistakes here and there, but it's a learning process. The thing that I like is that he's consistent - he's out there night-in and night-out knocking down shots for us. I was also really proud of Joey. He had 20 points, but more importantly he found open shooters. He had seven assists and only one turnover - I can't ask any more of a point guard."
On Facing Your Old Team... "This game did have a little added meaning. The last two years that I've spent with Coach Bigler have been amazing. I've learned so many things on and off the court. He really taught me the right way of doing things. I consider him a mentor and it's fun to compete against him."
On Playing Sioux Falls on Saturday... "I think the one-day turnaround is a good thing when you're coming off a loss. It allows you to put this game behind you and forget about it quickly. Obviously, we are going to have to learn from this and we're going to make our adjustments, but we have to have the right mindset tomorrow. I know we'll bounce back and give ourselves a chance to win."
Up Next
The Peacocks will look to get back in the win column tomorrow night as they host the Cougars of Sioux Falls at 4 p.m. inside Dorman Gym. The Cougars fell to Winona State by a score of 90-65 on Friday night.
