WINONA, Minn. – Looking to make up for their previous loss, the Winona State Warriors (8-9, 5-8 NSIC) tipped off a four game home stand Friday against the Wayne State Wildcats (6-13, 4-9 NSIC). The game was filled with scoring streaks and needed overtime before the Wildcats could seal their 66-63 win, snapping their three game losing streak.
Wayne State forced an up-tempo pace to begin play as both sides initially struggled to hit the bottom of the basket. Kendall Jacks of the Wildcats hit a jumper to start scoring before
Connor Flack knocked down a three from the corner to get the Warriors on the board one minute later. An 8-0 run by Wayne State put them up five before the Warriors countered with a 7-0 run putting WSU up two with just over ten minutes remaining in the half.
The Wildcats continued their up-tempo play throughout the first half, implementing a full court press on Warrior inbounds. Winona State played smart through the pressure as they limited themselves to just four turnovers in the half. The final ten minutes of the half started with a two-minute scoring drought, ended by
Isaiah Gray, who knocked down his second of two free throws. The two sides exchanged points for the remainder of the half and Winona State held a 28-24 lead at halftime.
Neither team shot particularly well from the field, with Winona State shooting 35.5% and the Wildcats 30%. The Warriors were able to get an edge in points in the paint at 10-4, and points off turnovers at 8-3.
Wayne State's Brian Goodwin and Flack traded baskets to start the half as WSU maintained a four-point advantage. A 6-0 run by Winona State with two-point contributions from
Kyle Bauman, Jeffs, and
Mason Domask briefly extended the WSU lead to seven. Wayne State countered the Warrior run, scoring five straight and trailed by just two with 12 minutes left to play.
Gathje and Flack combined to give the Warriors a ten-point lead with under eight minutes to play. Both sides entered the bonus with just under six minutes remaining and the next six points in the contest came from the charity stripe.
Nine straight points from the Wildcats dwindled the WSU advantage to just one with 60 seconds remaining in play. A Wayne State steal by Luke TerHark set up a layup attempt by Austin Esters, who was fouled by Gray with 20 seconds left. Esters hit one of two from the line to square the score at 58 apiece before Gray's layup didn't fall sending the game to overtime.
Both the Warriors and Wildcats exchanged two points in the paint to start the extra session. Wayne State would go 2-4 from the foul line on their next two trips down the court to go up two. The Wildcats iced the contest, going 4-4 on their free throw attempts down the stretch.
Riley Bambenek hit a three with seven seconds remaining, cutting the deficit to three. Wayne State successfully inbounded the ball before stepping out of bounds with three seconds left. Winona State could not take advantage, failing to get a shot off before the final buzzer sounded.
Quick Hitters:
Solid defense from both sides kept both teams under 41% shooting on the night. The Warriors shot 40.3% and Wayne State shot 35.1%.
The Warriors held the advantage in points in the paint at 26-15, second chance points 11-6, and in bench scoring at 17-11.
Wayne State led in points off turnovers at 15-10, and fast break points at 10-2.
Winona State was able to hold the advantage in rebounds with 43 total compared to WSC's 37. However, WSC forced 14 turnovers while turning the ball over nine times.
Gathje led Winona State in scoring with 15 points and was followed by Flack who had 12.
Flack led in rebounds with nine, while Gathje's eight were good for second on the Warriors.
Gray led in assists with six.
Winona State continues their home stand Saturday versus Augustana; tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
By: Jake Thiede
