WINONA, Minn. -- The Winona State men's basketball team returns to McCown Gymnasium for the first half of a four-game homestand. WSU takes on St. Cloud State Friday at 8 p.m. before a 6 p.m. tip Saturday vs. UMD. Friday's games are presented by Hy-Vee and is the annual "It's A Slam Dunk, Don't Drive Drunk" night, while Saturday's games are presented by Dahl Chevrolet and is Presidential Scholar-Athlete recognition night.


ST. CLOUD STATE at WINONA STATE FIRST LOOK:
Overall Series: Huskies lead 98-49 ... 148th Matchup
First meeting: Mar. 2, 1918 ... WSU won 28-13
Last meeting: Feb. 6, 2015 ... SCSU won 65-56
Last WSU win over SCSU: Mar. 2, 2014 ... WSU won 78-70
WSU Last Game: W, 53-41 vs Minnesota Crookston
SCSU Last Game: L, 98-80 vs Sioux Falls

MINNESOTA DULUTH at WINONA STATE FIRST LOOK:
Overall Series: Bulldogs lead 62-33 ... 96th Matchup
First meeting: Feb. 25, 1933 ... UMD won 42-31
Last meeting: Feb. 25, 2015 ... UMD won 67-64
Last WSU win over UMD: Feb. 15, 2014 ... WSU won 68-64
WSU Last Game: W, 53-41 at Minnesota Crookston
UMD Last Game: W, 103-88 vs SMSU

LAST TIME OUT: The Warriors picked up their first road weekend sweep since the 2013-14 season with  a come-from-behind 84-77 win over Bemidji State and a defensive 51-43 win over Minnesota Crookston. Isaiah Gray led WSU with 16 second half points against the Beavers to finish with 17 points along with Riley Bambenek, while Mark Blacklock had 14 points and five assists against the Golden Eagles.

LAST TIME vs SCSU: Isaiah Gray scored a game-high 19 points but was the only Warrior in double figures as WSU fell to SCSU 65-56 on the road last season.

LAST TIME vs. UMD:  The Warriors went 0-2 against the Bulldogs on the road last season, falling 76-63 in the regular season and suffering a 67-64 setback in the opening round of the NSIC Tournament.  Mark Blacklock led WSU with 18 points in the first game, while Riley Bambenek had a team-best 14 points in the season finale.

ABOUT THE HUSKIES: SCSU is coached by Matt Reimer, who has a 29-23 record in his second season at the helm of St. Cloud State. The Huskies enter the weekend with an 11-11 record, with an 8-8 mark in NSIC play. SCSU is led by a pair of top scorers in Scottie Stone (19.3 ppg) and Gage Davis (18.9 ppg).

ABOUT THE BULLDOGS: UMD is coached by Matt Bowen, who holds a record of 51-55 in his fourth season at the helm of Minnesota Duluth. The Bulldogs enter the weekend with a record of 15-7 with an 11-5 mark in NSIC play. UMD is led by a trio of double-digit scorers in Pierre Newton (20.1 ppg), Taylor Lavery (18.2 ppg) and Brendon Pineda (15.2).

GRAY GETS GOING: Isaiah Gray proved to be a crucial spark for the Warriors in the 84-77 win over the Beavers, scoring 16 second half points to help the Warriors come from behind. In Gray's career, the Warriors have been very successful when he scores at least 15 points, posting a 14-6 mark in those games - including 2-0 this season.

1,000 FOR BAMBENEK: Junior Riley Bambenek used a 17-point performance at Bemidji State last Friday to become the 36th member of WSU's 1,000-point club. He now sits 32nd on the all-time list with 1,015 career points.

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 495 consecutive games, with the last 0-for coming on Nov. 29, 2000 in a 79-57 win over Saint Mary's.

TOUGH DEFENSE: The Warriors have proven to be a very good defensive team this season, currently ranking No. 1 in the league in both points allowed (69.5 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (41.5).

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 the road win against U-Mary, where he scored 18 points and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds.