SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Winona State men's basketball team dropped its second consecutive game on the road, falling to Sioux Falls 76-54 Saturday evening in front of 385 at the Stewart Center.

The Warriors dug themselves a 13-4 hole in the first six minutes of the game and could never fully recover, although a Corey Jeffs 3-pointer briefly gave the Warriors a 23-22 lead later in the half and WSU trailed by just one, 28-27, at halftime.

Despite only trailing by one at the break, WSU shot just 31 percent (10-of-32) from the field while Sioux Falls shot 47 percent (9-of-19). The Warriors turned the ball over just four times while the Cougars committed nine miscues. Tim Wagner led the Warriors at halftime with eight points on the strength of a pair of 3-pointers.

The second half was a different story, as the Warriors were outscored 48-27. WSU managed just 11 rebounds in the second half as opposed to 25 from the Cougars.

The game began to get away from the Warriors at the 14:27 mark after Conrad Masberg hit a 3-point shot to bring it to a five-point game, 42-37. USF then went on a 10-0 run spanning over five minutes to jump out to a 52-37 lead with the streak finally ending on a Riley Bambenek layup – one of just two shots he'd hit in the game – with 9:05 to play. The Warriors would never get the lead back to single digits and trailed by as much as 25 before the 76-54 final score.

The Warriors shot just 27 percent (17-for-63) for the game and were outrebounded 42-27. The Warriors did take great care of the ball, committing just five turnovers while forcing 16 turnovers from the Cougars.

Isaiah Gray led the Warriors with 12 points off the bench.

Winona State (4-3, 1-2 NSIC) looks to rebound next weekend with a pair of important home matchups, beginning Friday at 8 p.m. against Concordia-St. Paul before a 6 p.m. rivalry game against Minnesota State at 6 p.m. in McCown Gym.