ABERDEEN, S.D. – The seventh seeded Winona State Warriors (11-16) headed to South Dakota to face the second seeded Northern State Wolves (22-7) in the first round of the NSIC Tournament. A tough night shooting was too much for the Warriors to overcome, as they fell 75-56.
 
Connor Flack tipped off the games scoring as he found the bottom of the net from three. Flack continued scoring for Winona State following a Wolves layup by knocking down both of his free throws. Northern State followed the pair of free throws by scoring nine straight points over six minutes giving them an early six-point advantage. A layup from Isaiah Gray broke up the run momentarily. The Wolves scored six out of the game's next ten points narrowly extending their lead as the half reached the ten-minute mark.
 
A 10-0 streak over four minutes further escalated the Northern State edge. Riley Bambenek's jumper ended the scoring drought and sparked a 9-0 Warrior run bringing Winona State within five. Justin Decker halted the run with a make from beyond the arc and NSU was off and running once more. Gray scored the last four points of the opening half bringing the Warriors within single digits as they trailed Northern State 35-26.
 
Gray led all scorers at the break with 10 points, he also had a steal and team leading two rebounds. Flack followed with eight points and two rebounds. Bambenek was third with six first half points. Winona State struggled to find their shooting touch beginning play, as they were outshot 53.8-38.5 percent from the field and 33.3-12.5 percent from three. The Wolves also held the advantage in rebounds at 17-11 and in bench scoring with seven points compared to two from the Warriors.
 
A jumper from Logan Doyle extended the Northern State advantage before Bambenek followed up his missed three with a layup on the next possession. The Wolves followed with five straight points before a pair of free throws by Bambenek and a three from Kyle Baumann brought the Warriors back within 11. Northern State extended their advantage by four before Bambenek hit a triple.
 
Six straight points by Northern State gave them a 16-point advantage two minutes later. Bambenek attempted to counter with four points in a row but Winona State could not make a dent in the deficit as they gave up four points over the next two possessions. The Wolves completed the 75-56 win to knock Winona State out of the NSIC Tournament.
 
Quick Hitters:
Three Warriors scored in double digits on the night. They were led by Bambenek with 18 points. Gray and Flack both followed with 12.
Northern State shot well on the night, making 56 percent of their shots while also shooting 38 percent from beyond the arc compared to WSU's 36.8 and 19.2 percent.
Winona State was also outrebounded 39-25, which contributed to an 8-2 disadvantage in second chance points.
Bambenek finishes his career with 216 made three-point field goals, tying for fifth all-time in school history. His 1,553 career points are 13^th most all-time.
Gray ends up with 1,180 points and 261 assists.
Bauman scored 1,114 points in his career to go along with 94 blocks.
Mongan season ends with 103 assists and a 4.48 assist-to-turnover ratio. He only missed eight free throws in his four-year career.
 
By: Jake Thiede