WINONA, Minn. -- The Winona State men's basketball team returns to McCown Gym after two weekends on the road to take on No. 2 Augustana Friday at 8 p.m. and Wayne State at 6 p.m. Saturday in NSIC South Division action.

AUGUSTANA at WINONA STATE FIRST LOOK:
Overall Series: Warriors Lead 11-10 ... 22nd Matchup
First meeting: Dec. 17, 1937 ... WSU won 44-34
Last meeting: Feb. 21, 2015 ... WSU won 75-72
Last AUGIE win over WSU: Jan. 23, 2015 ... AUGIE won 97-68
Last AUGIE win in Winona: Feb. 22, 2014 ... 79-70
WSU Last Game: L, 63-46 at Minot State
AUGIE Last Game: W, 95-66 vs Minnesota Duluth

WAYNE STATE at WINONA STATE FIRST LOOK:
Overall Series: Warriors lead 32-12 ... 45th Matchup
First meeting: Nov. 30, 1959 ... WSC won 85-74
Last meeting: Feb. 20, 2015 ... WSU won 82-63
Last WSC win over WSU: Jan. 24, 2015 ... WSC won 81-79
Last WSC win in Winona: Jan. 14, 2005 ... 87-84 (ot)
WSU Last Game:  L, 63-46 at Minot State
SMSU Last Game: L, 108-74 vs St. Cloud State

LAST TIME OUT: The Warriors split a pair of road matchups last week, beating a then 13-3 U-Mary team 64-54 before falling to Minot State 63-46.

LAST TIME vs AUGIE: The scene was largely the same the last time the Warriors met the Vikings in McCown Gym last season. Augie, just as it is currently, was ranked No. 2 in the NABC Top 25, but the Warriors earned a 75-72 victory. All five Viking starters scored in double figures, but WSU held stars Casey Schilling and Daniel Jansen to a combined 21 points. Isaiah Gray led the Warriors with 23 points and eight assists, while former guard Tim Wagner hit six 3-pointers.

LAST TIME vs. WSC:  The Warriors earned an 82-63 win over Wayne State in McCown Gym last season as Isaiah Gray led the way with 20 points and eight assists. The Wildcats won the first matchup last season for its first win over the Warriors since 2005, an 87-84 OT victory in McCown Gym. 

ABOUT THE VIKINGS: Augie is coached by Tom Billeter, who holds a record of 228-142 in his 17th season at the helm of the Vikings. The Vikings, ranked No. 2 in the NABC Top 25 Poll and winners of 15 straight games, are led by Daniel Jansen's 20.1 points per game and 8.1 rebounds. Casey Schilling adds 18.2 ppg and 9.5 rebounds while Alex Richter scores 14.6 ppg. Augie leads the league in scoring offense (93.7) and defense (69.5) for a league-best +24.2 scoring margin. The Vikings are tied atop the NSIC in field goal percentage (49.8) and second in defense (41.7). They also have league-best stat categories in assists per game (19.8), steals (6.9), 3-point field goals made (10.5 per game) and rebounding margin (+9.2).

ABOUT THE WILDCATS: WSC is coached by Brian Dolan, who has a 20-54 record in his third season at the helm of the Wildcats. Wayne State is led by Matt Thomas' 17 points per game and 54 assists. Jordan Cornelius is second on the team with 9.4 ppg and leads the team with 5.1 rebounds. WSC ranks 12th in scoring offense (74.6 ppg) and last in defense (83.1). They rank 10th in field goal percentage, 13th in 3-point field goal percentage  and last in field goal percentage defense at 49.5 percent as well as 15th in several rebounding categories.

1,000 ON THE HORIZON: Junior Riley Bambenek enters the weekend with 981 career points, just 19 points shy of becoming the 36th member of WSU's 1,000 point club. The last Warrior to reach 1,000 points was Xavier Humphrey, who accomplished the feat in 2013.  

BAUMAN FOR THREE: Junior big man Kyle Bauman's ability to hit the three has been a welcome addition to the Warrior offense. Bauman currently ranks third in the NSIC in 3-point field goal percentage at 52.4 percent, one of just five players in the league to connect on more than half of their 3-point attempts. Last Saturday's loss to Minot State ended a streak of 10 straight games with a made 3-point basket.

A TRIPLE A GAME: It's been more than 15 years since the Warriors went scoreless from behind the 3-point arc. WSU has made a 3-point field goal in 491 consecutive games, with the last 0-for coming on Nov. 29, 2000 in a 79-57 win over Saint Mary's.

REBOUNDING RIGHT: WSU ranks second in the NSIC this season in rebounding defense, giving up just 32.2 per game, tied with Augustana and behind only SMSU's 30.5 per game. 

TOUGH DEFENSE: The Warriors rank toward the top of the league in a pair of defense statistics. WSU is third in scoring defense, allowing 71.0 points per game, behind only Augustana and Sioux Falls. The Warriors also are fifth in field goal percentage defense (.427) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.351)

DOUBLE-DOUBLES: The Warriors have recorded four double-doubles this season, with three coming from Kyle Bauman and one from Mark Blacklock. Bauman's most recent double-double came in last weekend's win against U-Mary, where he scored 18 points and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds.