STORM LAKE, Iowa – The rugged road schedule continued Saturday for the Yellowjacket men's basketball team, as they traveled to the campus of Buena Vista University to take on the Beavers in non-conference play. UWS entered the contest on a four-game skid, while BVU most recently fell to Upper Midwest Athletic Conference's (UMAC) Martin Luther earlier in the week.
 
The Yellowjackets stayed within four points after passing the midway point of the opening half, but the Beavers powered through and gained a cushion of 37-26 heading into the break. Superior came within six points on various occasions of the second half, but BVU poured it on offensively to take the 69-58 victory.
 
Game Notes

• An early steal from J'Vaun Walker (Rosharon, Texas/Manvel) saw him set up Joey Barker (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) for a layup. Later Walker took a feed from Andrew Kunelius (Caledonia, Minn./Caledonia) and finished a layup inside the paint, sitting at 4-4.
• Walker scored the next eight points for Superior before Ty Melchert (Green Bay, Wis./Green Bay Southwest) finished a layup to come within four at 18-14. Max Briggs (Woodbury, Minn./New Life Academy) entered the scoring after receiving a pass from Hayden Quimby (Menasha, Wis./Xavier), but the Beavers managed to produce a balanced attack and hold an 11-point advantage at 37-26 entering the break.
• Barker, along with Reid Johnson (Chatfield, Minn./Chatfield) logged early points in the second half, but Buena Vista answered back with a pair of mid-range and long-range jumpers of their own.
• Kunelius, Walker and Barker continued their offensive output, but after grabbing Quimby's missed layup, Landen Thomer (Mosinee, Wis./Mosinee) was sent to the line for two after drawing a foul from BVU's Gabe Peterson. He would sink both attempts in the process.
• Barker hit a layup nearing the halfway mark of the second, keeping the 'Jackets within six. From there, though, the Beavers took a lead before both teams would go quiet offensively.
• Thomer, alongside Walker and Barker would supply the final points for UWS, but the Beavers ultimately came away with the 69-58 win at home.
• Pacing the Yellowjacket offense was Walker and Barker, supplying 15 and 13 points, respectively. Barker finished the night with a double-double, adding 11 boards to account for nearly a third of Superior's rebounds.
• UWS shot 41.1 percent from the field, beating Buena Vista's mark of 37.9 percent.

 
The Yellowjackets see their final contests of the 2024 calendar year at the Raddison Holiday Classic, hosted by the Falcons of UW-River Falls. They will take on a pair of Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) foes, beginning with the Blue Devils of UW-Stout Monday, Dec. 30. The opening tipoff is set for 5 p.m. inside Don Page Arena.
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