Upper Iowa was defeated by Winona State University by a 85-80 count Saturday evening. Tonight's matchup was the second consecutive game the Peacocks extended past regulation. Winona State now holds a 6-1 record at home. Both teams move to 6-6 (3-3 in the NSIC) following the game.

The Peacocks and the Warriors exchanged baskets throughout the first five minutes of the contest. Upper Iowa was then able to pull away on a 13-0 run to go ahead 21-11 with 10:03 to go in the first half. The run was highlighted by a trio of trifectas from Jake Hilmer, Max Duax and Jackson Joens. Winona State held a 17-6 advantage in the remainder of the frame including a 10-0 run to close out the half. The stretch put the Warriors ahead 28-27 at the break. 

Upper Iowa converted shots more successfully than Winona State in the first half. UIU shot 47.8% from the field compared to 37.9% from WSU as well as making 45.5% of their attempts  from beyond the arc compared to a 30.8% rate posted by the Warriors. The Peacocks outrebounded the Warriors 17-13 in the frame. Upper Iowa also moved the ball well, dishing out eight assists compared to just three from Winona State. 

Joshua Carter led the Peacocks with six points and five boards in the first half. Joens scored six as well, as he went 2-2 from downtown. 

Winona State carried their momentum into the second half. The Warriors broke off a 10-2 run to start the period putting WSU ahead 38-29 with 17:02 left on the clock. 

Upper Iowa went toe-to-toe with Winona State until a 15-3 run put UIU up 62-58 with 2:51 to play. Jareese Williams heated up amidst the stretch hitting back-to-back threes. Joe Smoldt also tacked on five points during the run. 

The Warriors fought back and evened things up at 64 with 1:08 to go after a Hilmer layup split a pair of Winona State three-pointers. Winona State's second three came from Kevion Taylor who surpassed the 1,000 point milestone with the make. Hilmer hit two free throws to put the Peacocks up 66-64 before a Winona State jumper tied the game at 66 with 0:14 left in regulation. Hilmer was not able to score on the potential game-winning attempt forcing the game to head into overtime.

In overtime, Winona State got on the board first with another three-pointer from Taylor. Smoldt quickly hit a three of his own to tie the game at 69 with 3:24 to go. Winona State sunk another three-point attempt before Smoldt hit a pair of free throws to keep UIU within one point. Winona State scored another four points around a Dylan Jones layup putting the game at 76-73 in favor of WSU with 1:39 to go in the extra period. 

Taylor extended the Warriors lead to two possessions with a mid-range jumpshot. Williams hit a pair of free throws to put the score at 78-75 with 0:39 on the clock. The Warriors continued to ride Taylor as he hit four free throws in a 10-second span (0:27-0:17) that put Winona State up 82-75. Taylor ended the night with a game-high 25 points. UIU got back within one score after Williams converted a three-pointer and Hilmer scored a layup. However, the rally was not enough as Winona State's Caleb Wagner hit three out of four free throw attempts to seal the victory for the Warriors at 85-80.

STATS OF THE GAME… 

• Upper Iowa outrebounded Winona State 34-26 on the night.

• The Warriors were able to capitalize off of turnovers outscoring the Peacocks 25-14 in that category.

• UIU's bench outscored Winona State's bench 20-11.

PEACOCKS OF THE GAME… 

• Upper Iowa had three double-digit scorers: Hilmer (20), Williams (16) and Smoldt (10).

• Hilmer shot 7-10 (70%) from the field including 4-5 (80%) from beyond the arc. He also grabbed five boards and dished out three assists in addition to his 20 points.

• Williams went 4-7 (57.1%) from deep and came down with a team-high six rebounds.

• Lucas Duax had team-highs in assists (4) and steals (4).

UP NEXT… Upper Iowa will begin the New Year on the road against Northern State University on Jan. 3 at 7:30 p.m. in Aberdeen, S.D. Live stats, audio and a webcast will be available at UIUPeacocks.com/LIVE. The game will also stream live on the NSIC app through Roku and Fire devices, as well as Apple and Android TV.