Quincy, Ill. – Winona State improved to 3-0 on the young season Saturday afternoon with a 72-54 triumph over McKendree University (0-3), 72-54 in the Warriors' road trip finale at the Subway Classic hosted by Quincy University.
 
After the Bearcats scored the first basket of the game, a 16-0 run helped the Warriors pull away early in the first quarter. Rachel Novotny lead the scoring in the opening quarter with six points. The Warriors forced five turnovers en route to a 23-10 opening quarter.
 
Winona State's defense continued to be an asset in the second half as they forced the Bearcats to turn the ball over seven more times for a first half total of 12. Liz Evenocheck dropped six points, including two free-throws in the second quarter to bring her first half total to 11. Rachel Novotny and Kayla Schafer both had two steals in the half and Hannah McGlone led the team around the rim with five rebounds. The Warriors led by a 38-19 count at halftime.

WSU shot an even 50% from the floor, including a 57.1% clip from the three-point line, and went a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.
 
The second half saw Winona State cool down a little bit in the scoring department, only shooting 8-for-22 from the field. However, the Warriors' accuracy from the charity stripe proved to be a key factor. The Bearcats committed 17 fouls in the second half and the Warriors capitalized, knocking down 18 of 20 free throws in the final 20 minutes of play.
 
Evenocheck led the Warriors with a season-high 19 points. Novotny also made it into double figures with a season-best 10 points.
 
Winona State has now won each of its first three games by double-digits.

The Warriors largest lead of the night (27 points) came at the 7:51 mark in the third quarter. As a team, WSU totaled nine steals and scored almost half of their points off of turnovers (35).
 
The Warriors return home Tuesday November 21^st to face Waldorf University. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m..