WINONA, Minn. – The Winona State University men conclude their season-long five-game homestand in non-conference action against Michigan Tech University on Tuesday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in McCown Gymnasium.
A victory on Tuesday would give the Warriors a four-game winning streak – their longest of the year and best since the 2015-16 campaign. WSU rattled off three-straight wins from Nov. 16-25 before sliding into a three-game losing streak. The Warriors have won three straight since that skid.
Tuesday's game will be aired live on HBC25.
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SCOUTING MICHIGAN TECH: The Huskies (7-4) enter Tuesday's tilt having won five of their last six games, including a 68-57 victory over Concordia-St. Paul. Heath Bryan scored 28 points against CSP on 7-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc. Bryan is averaging 13.4 ppg on 45% shooting from downtown. Kyle Monroe is averaging 26.2 ppg and 8.9 rebounds per contest. The junior leads the GLIAC in scoring and ranks second in rebounding. Monroe is shooting 51% from the field and 40% from three-point range. The Huskies have been dealt losses by NSIC members – SMSU (65-52), Moorehead (89-82, OT) and Duluth (84-69).
BALANCED ATTACK: The Warriors currently rank seventh in the NSIC in scoring average (79.2 ppg), but have showed the ability to share the ball and the offensive workload this season. Four different players are averaging double digits in scoring, led by Domask's 12.8 points per game. On four different occasions this year, five different Warriors have finished the game with double digit point totals. In those four contests, Winona is averaging 18 assists per game. As a team this season, WSU is averaging 14.4 assists/game.
POINT OF EMPHASIS: Winona State's current three-game winning streak has been led in large part by the play of guards Mason Domask and Caleb Wagner. Wagner was thrust into the starting point guard role (for the first time in his career) against CSP two weeks ago, and proceeded to score a career best 22 points. The sophomore followed that up with a career-best 11 assists vs. Waldorf on Tuesday. Wagner has hit double digits in points in five straight games overall, and is averaging 19.3 ppg and 8.3 assists/game in three starts. Domask scored a career-high 20 points at USF earlier this month, and is 12-of-14 from downtown in his last three games.
DOWNTOWN: The Warriors enter play Tuesday ranked third in the NSIC in three-point shooting (41.6%). WSU has knocked down at least eight three-pointers in nine of 11 games this season. WSU has made at least one three-point field goal in 513 consecutive games, dating back to Nov. 29, 2000 in a 79-57 win over Saint Mary's. That game, more than 17 years ago, was the last time the Warriors went scoreless from beyond the arc.
LEAD BY EXAMPLE: Winona's lone senior, Corey Jeffs, ranks second on the team in scoring this season at 12.6 points per game. The Melbourne, Australia native leads the Warriors with 5.4 rebounds per contest. Jeffs recorded his second career double-double on Saturday against Upper Iowa (15 points/10 rebounds). He poured in a season-high 27 points last month again Saint Mary's.
CENTER OF ATTENTION: The Warriors' big man, Tommy Gathje, is putting together a solid junior campaign after averaging 10.3 ppg a year ago. The 6-foot-8 forward ranks third on the team with 11.6 ppg while shooting 45% from beyond the arc.
