Upper Iowa led by a dozen points in the early minutes of the fourth quarter, but Winona State rallied to claim the Northern Sun Conference victory in Fayette after launching a 22-0 run over the final eight minutes of the game. The Peacock defense and offense were both hitting on all strides throughout most of the opening three quarters, but the Warriors took over on both ends in the final quarter to post the 68-58 win. WSU improved to 10-2 overall and 5-1 in the conference, while UIU fell to 0-10 and 0-6 in the NSIC.
Blair Klostermann and
Ashley Ray took on the lionshare of the Peacocks' scoring duties with 28 and 14 points, respectively.
Haley Martin added 8 points and four other Peacocks notched two points each. Klostermann knocked down 7 three-pointers in 8 attempts, while Ray knocked down 4 of her 5 deep shots and Martin netted a pair in 6 tries.
While Upper Iowa was hot from beyond the arc, the team struggled inside the three-point line. The Peacocks nailed 13 of their 29 triples (44.8%), but only made 7 two-point attempts in 28 attempts (25%). Winona State's 9 blocks had a lot to do with UIU's poor percentage inside the arc.
In the first quarter, the Peacocks led 13-4 with three minutes to play, but the Warriors closed the quarter on an 14-3 run thanks to four three-pointers to take a 23-16 lead. With three minutes to play in the second quarter, it was Upper Iowa's turn to go on a late quarter run. WSU led 33-24 with 2:57 on the clock, but a pair of three-pointers from
Haley Martin cut the gap to just three points, 33-30, at the halftime break.
The home team kept the pressure up in the third quarter and didn't allow the Warriors to score a point until the 4:51 mark in the period. While the Peacock defense was holding their guests scoreless, the offense was on fire. UIU's 14-0 run that spanned halftime and claimed just over 8 minutes of game time featured four three-pointers; two by Martin before the half and two by Klostermann in the third. A pair of free throws from
Ashley Rosenstiel reset the lead to 11, 46-35, with just over four minutes to play in the quarter. Winona State began to chip away at the lead, but a jumper at the buzzer from Klostermann gave UIU a 6-point edge, 51-45, heading into the final frame.
Klostermann opened the fourth quarter with a pair of three-pointers and a bonus free throw after being fouled on one of her conversions from deep. The seven points gave the Peacocks 58 through the first 32 minutes of the game; unfortunately, that was the same point total the team had at the end of 40 minutes. The Warriors blocked 5 Peacock shots and forced 5 turnovers in the quarter forcing the Peacocks into 0-13 shooting during the huge 22-0 run.
In the end, two factors played a huge role in Upper Iowa's downfall. The Warriors claimed a 22-4 advantage in points off turnovers and a 40-10 advantage in points in the paint. All 10 of UIU's points in the paint came in the third quarter during the Peacocks' best offensive frame.
Martin led the Peacocks on the glass with 6 boards, while
Karlee Grabau and
Sam Ofstad each added 5. Ofstad and Ray each handed out 4 assists.
The Peacocks are now off on holiday break until the final two days of December. Upper Iowa will host the Beavers of Bemidji State University at 6 p.m. and the Golden Eagles of the University of Minnesota Crookston at 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 30-31.
