|
Feb. 2, 2008
The Peacock men's basketball team played host to the #3 team in the country tonight. Upper Iowa welcomed national powerhouse Winona State to Dorman Gym for a Northern Sun Conference tilt. The home team is playing their fifth straight game in Fayette and has posted a 3-1 record in the previous four home affairs. The Warriors used an early run to take a 21-8 advantage, but the Peacocks hung tough thanks to physical play and good rebounding as the teams went to the break with Upper Iowa trailing 37-33. The Peacocks kept up the pressure and tuned in their offense to lead for much of the second half, but a late rally by the visitors gave the Warriors the 72-62 victory. Both teams began the game at a frantic pace that put both offenses off balance. Through the first six minutes of the game Winona State held a slim 9-8 lead after Alex Kramer's lay up pulled Upper Iowa within one. The Warriors outscored the Peacocks 12-0 over the next three minutes to take a 13-point lead. With 3:13 on the clock, the home team still trailed by eleven, 32-21, but a 12-5 run over the final three minutes brought Upper Iowa to within four. The home team closed out the half with four straight three-pointers. Upper Iowa outrebounded Winona State 17-13 in the half. The Peacocks came out of the locker room fired up and tied the game at 39 just two minutes into the second half. UIU tied the game again at 41 before an A.J. Adkins' three-pointer gave the home team a 44-41 lead. A free throw and a lay up by John Smith of Winona tied the game again at 44-44. Back-to-back lay ups by Adkins and Neil Gross gave the Peacocks the 48-44 lead with just under fourteen minutes to play. Winona State crept back to within two on a pair of free throws and tied the game, 48-48, on a fast break lay in with 10:21 on the clock. Gross rained down a three-pointer to get the home crowd back on their feet with a 51-48 lead. The Warriors stuck a three with under eight minutes to play and tied the game at 51-51. After a Nick Kramer free throw and a Matt Lesan three-pointer, the Peacocks once again claimed a four-point lead, 55-51. On the Warriors next possession, Smith scored an old-fashioned three-point play to cut the Upper Iowa lead to one, 55-54, and a fast break lay up gave the visitors their first lead in more than ten minutes of action. A pair of free throws and a rebound putback extended Winona State's lead to 60-55 with three minutes to play. In all, the Warriors used a 9-0 run to build their advantage. Jude Roybal penetrated the WSU defense for a floating lay up to cut the deficit to three points, 60-57, but that was as close as the Peacocks would get. A three-pointer, two free throws, and a lay in gave the Warriors a 67-57 lead with just over a minute to play. The visitors hit their free throws over the final minute to equalize Roybal's effort to bring the Peacocks back as he scored the final seven Peacock points. In the end, Winona State escaped Fayette with a 72-62 victory. For the Warriors, John Smith passed the 2,000 point plateau in his college basketball career on the night with a free throw to open his scoring. Roybal led the Peacocks with 15 points and two assists. Both Lesan and Gross netted 8 points. Gross cleared 10 rebounds, while both he and Lesan dished out 3 assists. For the game the Peacocks outrebounded the Warriors 31-28, but the difference came at the free throw line. WSU shot 23-31 at the line, while UIU hit 7 of their 10 opportunities. The Peacocks will now travel to Southwest Minnesota State and Wayne State next weekend, Feb. 8 and 9, for their next pair of Northern Sun Conference games. Both games are scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m. |
  |
