WINONA, Minn. – Winona State University overcame a 12-point second half deficit on Friday night in McCown Gymnasium only to see Minnesota State University pull away late for an 83-72 road triumph.

The Warriors shot below 40 percent for the second time in the last three games, and have now dropped three straight overall. WSU went just 4-of-13 from beyond the arc, but did knock down a pair of big shots from downtown while making a run at Mankato in the second half.

The Mavericks shot 60 percent in the first half of play, including a 7-for-13 effort from three-point range, and built a 49-37 in the first five minutes of the second half. MSU still led by double digits at the 11:51 mark, 55-45, before Winona finally began to close the gap.

The Warriors stayed in the ballgame compliments of 19 free throw attempts in the second half of play. Charlie Koontz completed a three-point play at the charity stripe to cap an 8-2 run which saw Winona cut its deficit to 57-52 with 10:15 remaining on the clock.

Caleb Wagner connected on a timely three-pointer to make it a 63-62 contest with 7:10 left on the clock, and Kevion Taylor found the bottom of the net from downtown a few possessions later to give the Warriors a 66-65 edge with 5:14 remaining.

Winona's first lead since the opening possession was short lived however, as the Warriors got caught celebrating Taylor's made three-point while the Mavericks raced down the court for an easy bucket to regain the lead. Mankato never trailed again after Carlos Anderson's fastbreak layup with 5:03 on the clock.

The Warriors went 1-for-3 from the field and committed three turnovers on their next seven possessions as the Mavericks found their shooting stroke again late and hit the gas pedal to the finish line.

Mankato finished the night shooting 48 percent and went 9-of-20 from downtown. The Mavericks also got into the lane at will, outscoring the Warriors in the paint, 38-28.

Koontz led the Warriors with a career-best 17 points off the bench on 4-of-6 shooting. The junior was perfect in eight attempts from the free throw line. Wagner chipped in 15 points off the bench as well.

Corey Jeffs pulled down a team-high eight rebounds to go along with 10 points.

WSU falls to 4-4 (1-3 NSIC) with the loss while Mankato improves to 6-2 (3-0 NSIC).

Winona State is back in action Saturday afternoon in the midst of a five-game homestand. The Warriors host Concordia St. Paul tomorrow at 6 p.m.