Box Score Box Score
ROCHESTER, MN. – Very familiar with close games, the Upper Iowa men’s basketball team found itself in a predicament with less than a minute remaining in the Semifinals of the NSIC/Sanford Health Basketball Tournament. With just 24 seconds left, the Peacocks trailed Bemidji State by three, 64-61, with the Beavers’ Mason Walters at the free throw line. He missed the front end of a one-and-one and the Peacocks snagged the rebound. In the past, UIU has seen three different seniors knock off three of the top teams in the NSIC this year, but on Friday the Peacocks final shot rimmed out.
Sam Elgin – who finished second on the team with 17 total points – elevated and attempted his sixth three-pointer of the game, this one coming from the far right wing. The ball went six inches into the hoop, but came back up and out, ultimatley missing its intended target as the Peacocks dropped to their knees and lost for the first time in this postseason, 64-61.
It looked as if the reverse would be true early on. UIU felt good about its 11-2 lead over the first seven minutes of the game thanks to back-to-back three-pointers from Elgin and
Tucker Wentzien. BSU, which started just 1-of-5 from the floor, battled back to cut the lead to five with 11:53 remaining in the first half.
UIU went back to Wentzien and the Solon, Iowa native connected on his second trey of the game to give the Peacocks their largest lead of the night, 18-8, with nine and a half minutes remaining in the opening period.
Less than 30 seconds after Wentzien’s bomb, the Beavers’ Jake Schalow – who had six first half points off the BSU bench– answered with a layup. After similar layups from Wentzien and
Joey Woods, the Beavers answered with two free throws from Dermaine Crockwell. Crockwell started 0-of-4 from the free throw line, but finished the first half with a team-high six points.
Wentzien had another bucket for the Peacocks before the end of the opening period and he finished the first half with a game-high 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting.
UIU took a slim 28-25 lead into halftime thanks to 44-percent shooting and 42-percent shooting from beyond the arc. BSU on the other hand, was 0-for-7 from deep, but kept the game close by forcing six Peacock turnovers in the first twenty minutes.
With Wentzien’s red-hot play early, the Beavers made him their main focus in the second stanza. The double- and sometimes triple-teams worked as Wentzien scored only one point over the first ten minutes of the final period.
Without their big man on offense, the Peacocks watched their three-point lead disappear. BSU took a 29-28 lead less than two minutes into the second period with a layup from Lance Rongstad.
The teams battled back and forth for most of the second half – exchanging blows and baskets. The game was tied seven times after halftime, but BSU seemed to have found its rhythm shooting the ball. The Beavers missed only four shots in the second half for an impressive 80-percent shooting performance.
UIU kept the game close by causing 15 BSU turnovers, but two late threes from Walters and Crockrell gave the Beavers a 64-61 lead with just 24 seconds left.
The Peacocks’ final shot was in and out and the Peacocks fell for the first time in this postseason. BSU will continue with the tournament tomorrow as they play the winner of Minnesota State University, Mankato and Augustana in the championship.
UIU will now await the final regional rankings as they sit on the edge in the NCAA Division II Central Region. They entered the weekend as the sixth team in the region. The top eight teams make the tournament.
