The Winona State University men’s basketball team won their fourth straight game on Saturday, Dec. 1, after defeating the Upper Iowa Peacocks at home with a final score of 72-50.

After a closely contested first-half, the Warriors would pull away in the second behind sophomore guard/forward Kevion Taylor’s with 11 points.

Winona State’s plan on offensive was to attack the paint and 26 of their first-half points came there. The Warriors were 4/17 from three-point range, while the Peacocks went 5/16.

Winona State was also efficient with their possessions, only four turnovers during the game’s opening 20-minutes. Defensively, they allowed only six points in the paint, while also forcing seven turnovers and controlled the boards by allowing only one offensive rebound and outrebounding the Peacocks 19-16.

Taylor led the Warriors in points and rebounds with nine points, six rebounds. They would also get contributions from junior guard Caleb Wagner, who had seven points and two assists and sophomore guard Devin Whitelow, six points, two assists. They would end the half up 36-34.

After a 34-point first half, the Peacocks were held to only 16 in the second, as the Warriors tightened up defensively only allowing four field goals on 19.6 percent shooting.

On offense, the Warriors got better with their shot selection shooting over 60 percent from the field. They did it by taking fewer three-point shots and continued to attack the paint. The Warriors started the half with eight unanswered points, six of which were by Taylor. That run proved to be a big factor in the remainder of the game. After another three-point made by Taylor to put the Warriors up 51-41, they would hold on to a double-digit lead for the rest of the game, with the largest lead being 25.

Taylor had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds and he also added two steals, all of which were game highs. The Warriors started the season with two consecutive losses, but stand at 4-2 after Saturday’s win.

The next Warrior basketball game will be at home against Augustana University Friday, Dec. 7 with tipoff at 7:30 p.m.