FIRST HALF SCORING DROUGHT PROVES COSTLY FOR UMC MEN’S BASKETBALL AGAINST UPPER IOWA

The University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC) Golden Eagles Men’s basketball team was looking for their first win of 2022 when they hosted the Upper Iowa University Peacocks inside of Lysaker Gymnasium at Gary Senske Court on Friday night. The Peacocks came into the game ranked 19^th in the latest DII poll and led the NSIC South Division with a 6-2 conference record. The Peacocks have had a strong offense all season long, but it was their tenacious defense that impressed in a 74-63 win over the Golden Eagles. “That’s a very good team we just played,” said UMC Head Coach Dan Weisse. “I thought they were a little tougher than we were, and that showed throughout the course of the game.”

FIRST HALF –

After a couple of Upper Iowa baskets, Zach Westphal (Sr. West Fargo, N.D.) took advantage of his first start of the season, and scored five straight points, giving Upper Iowa an early 6-5 lead. The Peacocks would score five straight before a Brian Sitzmann (Sr. Savage, Minn.) three-pointer made the score 11-8 Upper Iowa with 14:56 to play. That three would jumpstart a 12-2 run for the Golden Eagles to help them take a 17-13 lead. The run was highlighted by a Nathaniel Powell (So. Nottingham, England) three, and five points from Leonard Dixon (Jr. Damascus, OR.). “I thought our defense was very good early in this game,” said UMC Head Coach Dan Weisse. “One thing we didn’t do a good job of was boxing out, and that led to way too many offensive rebounds for them and eventually it caught up to us.” The teams traded a few baskets giving UMC a 21-17 lead before Upper Iowa would go on a 14-0 run to claim a 31-21 lead. UMC finally ended an eight-minute scoring drought on a Dixon jumper with 55 seconds left in the first half. After a couple of Upper Iowa scores, Jerome Mabry (So. Milwaukee, Wis.) drove into the lane and kissed a layup off the glass giving the Peacocks a 33-25 lead at halftime. UMC was forced into 10 first-half turnovers that led to 11 Upper Iowa points. The Golden Eagles were led by Leonard Dixon with 7 points and Nathaniel Powell 6 points.

SECOND HALF –

UMC came out and scored the first four points of the half to cut the Upper Iowa lead to 33-29. After the teams traded a few baskets, a Sitzmann layup made it 39-35 Upper Iowa with 15:35 left to play. The Peacocks would then proceed to go on a 14-6 scoring run over the next few minutes to take a 53-41 lead with 12:23 to play. UMC would cut the lead back to single digits a couple of times, but the deficit was too much to overcome, as Upper Iowa would hang on to secure a 74-63 victory. “Defensively I like where we’re at for the most part,” said UMC Head Coach Dan Weisse. “Offensively we got to start knocking down shots though. That’s what it comes down to.”

UMC Falls to 4-11 on the season and 1-8 in NSIC play and will be back in action tomorrow afternoon when they host Winona State for another conference game. “I want our guys to have a quick memory but at the same time not forget the lesson from tonight,” said UMC Head Coach Dan Weisse. “Winona State is very similar to Upper Iowa; in that, they are tough and are going to play a very physical and tough style of play. We will need to be tougher tomorrow night.” The Tip-Off is set for 3:30 p.m. and the game can be heard on KROX. Upper Iowa improves to 13-2 and 7-2 in NSIC play with the win.