WINONA, Minn. – The Winona State Warriors (9-10, 6-9 NSIC) looked to end their four game home stand on a high note this weekend after dropping the first two last weekend. The Warriors took to the court in need of a win as they faced off against the Minot State Beavers (10-11, 6-9 NSIC), who were looking to continue their three game win streak. The Warriors needed overtime for the second time in three games, and big nights from Kyle Bauman and Tommy Gathje sealed the 84-82 home victory.
 
Gathje got the Warriors on the board with his jumper in the game's opening possession. A few moments later, Gathje followed his rebound with a layup to keep Winona State in front. A three pointer from Riley Bambenek got the Warriors back on the board after a jumper from Tyler Rudolph briefly gave Minot State the lead. The three-pointer was the start of seven straight makes for WSU, included in the run was a three from Gathje and 11 straight points from Bauman, who connected three times from beyond the arc and once on a jumper. The hot shooting streak gave Winona State a 12-point advantage with 12 minutes remaining in the half.
 
Minot State countered with a run of their own to begin the final ten minutes of the first half; scoring 11 straight points as the Warriors scoreless streak reached six minutes. Corey Jeffs ended the drought with just over six minutes remaining knocking down both of his free throws to extended the lead to three. The Beavers and Warriors traded baskets, with Jeffs scoring on two straight jumpers before a short 6-0 Minot State run gave them a three-point advantage with two minutes remaining. Winona State closed the half strong in their final two possessions, as Gathje and Bambenek contributed to the Warriors 34-32 halftime lead.
 
Winona State entered the half with the lead even though they were out rebounded 17-10 and were outscored in the paint 20-12. The Warriors shot well from the field; shooting 54.2 percent compared to the Beavers 46.7 percent. WSU was very effective from long range in the half, shooting at a 54.5 percent clip. Bauman led all scorers with 11 points at the half including two blocks. Gathje followed with nine points, while grabbing a team leading five rebounds.
 
The Warriors success from beyond the arc didn't immediately transfer into the second half as they missed their first three attempts. Isaiah Gray knocked down a jumper for Winona State's first points of the half to bring them within one, after four straight Minot State points. Two point contributions from Connor Flack and Mason Domask put the Warriors back on top with a three-point advantage. Six straight WSU points brought the game to the ten-minute mark with Winona State holding a four-point edge.
 
The Beavers went on a brief 6-0 run with seven minutes remaining to square the score at 54. Gathje was quick to counter with a three-pointer before Jeffs would knock down another shot from beyond the arc, following a Minot State jumper to extend the lead to four. Both sides were tied at 66 with one minute left in the contest before Flack followed his layup with a steal at the other end. His steal would transition into a quick layup, giving the Warriors a four-point edge. Tyler Rudolph knocked down a three to respond for Minot State before Bambenek made one of two from the charity stripe pushing the WSU advantage to two. Nathan Mertens tied the game at 71 with four seconds to go. The Warriors last second shot got swatted out of bounds and the game headed for overtime.
 
Overtime began with both sides making three free throws before a Bauman jumper sparked a 6-0 Warriors run and six-point advantage with one minute remaining to play. Two Minot State three pointers cut the Winona State lead to one point with 0.1 seconds remaining. Gray put the game on ice with a free throw, getting the Warriors back into the win column with an 84-82 victory.
 
Quick Hitters:
Kyle Bauman led WSU with 17 points and three blocks while going 6-8 shooting.
For Bauman it was the most points since the Dec. 10 victory at Concordia-St. Paul.
Gathje was second with 16 points on the night paired with a team leading eight rebounds.
Two other scorers reached double digits in points with Bambenek scoring 14 and Gray adding 10.
WSU led 7-0 in fast break points and 32-21 in bench scoring.
Minot State out-rebounded Winona State 39-28; which contributed to their 12-6 advantage in second chance points.
Both sides shot well from the field with WSU shooting 51.9 percent compared to MSU's 47.7 percent.
Winona State plays the last game in their home stand Saturday at 6 p.m. against the University of Mary Marauders.
 
By: Jake Thiede