MOORHEAD, Minn. – Riley Bambenek scored a game-high 22 points but it wasn't enough to pull off the upset as the Winona State men's basketball team fell to No. 14 MSU Moorhead 71-65 Saturday night inside Nemzek Fieldhouse.

Despite the loss, the Warriors shot the ball fairly well from the field, making 43 percent of their shots while a stellar defense held the normally potent Dragon offense to just 33 percent shooting. The Dragons also were cold from 3-point range, going just 8-of-36 (22 percent) while the Warriors made 7-of-21 shots (33 percent) from beyond the arc.

Bambenek tied his season-high scoring mark while going 9-of-16 from the field, including 3-of-5 from behind the arc. The sophomore also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out three assists and recorded a steal.

The first half was closely contested and saw runs from both teams. Tim Wagner hit a layup to put WSU up 15-12 with 11:55 to play, but MSU Moorhead responded with a 13-0 run spanning more than six minutes to put the Dragons up by 10 at 25-15 with 5:45 to play. After an Isaiah Gray jumper ended the run, the Warriors answered nicely with a 13-6 run over the remainder of the half, cutting the deficit to just three at the break, 31-28.

After the Dragons built a six-point lead early in the second half, the Warriors used a 6-0 run ending with a Bambenek 3-pointer to tie the game at 48-48 and moments later a pair of WSU free throws by Conrad Masberg gave the Warriors the lead back at 51-50 with 10:17 to go. Thanks to a jumper and 3-pointer by Bambenek the Warriors had built its largest lead of the game, a seven-point advantage at 60-53.
The Dragons eventually had an answer, using a 10-0 run to retake a 63-60 lead and would lead the rest of the way to the 71-65 victory.

Isaiah Gray added 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting, along with six rebounds and a pair of steals.

Winona State (5-7, 2-6 NSIC) returns home next weekend for a pair of matchups with Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State on Friday and Saturday in McCown Gymnasium.