WINONA, Minn. – After picking up a pair of gritty win at home last week, the Winona State University conclude their current homestand with against a pair of NSIC North opponents this weekend.
WSU hosts Minnesota Duluth on Friday night at 8 p.m., and concludes their final back-to-back home weekend of the season against St. Cloud State on Saturday at 6 p.m.
The Warriors have won six of their last seven games.
Both contests will be aired live on HBC25.
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SCOUTING UMD: The Bulldogs (6-8, 5-5 NSIC) have won four of their last five games, and enter the weekend on a two-game winning streak after knocking Crookston (75-71) and Bemidji (62-57) at home last week. Reigning NSIC North Player of the Week, Brandon Myer, averaged 24 points and 9.5 rebounds en route to his second weekly honor of the season. Myer leads UMD and ranks sixth in the NSIC in scoring (19.9 ppg) and rebounding (7.3 rpg). The Bulldogs rank second to last in the league in scoring average this season (70.4) and are last in shooting (41.7%). Despite their scoring woes, UMD gets the most out of its possessions, having committed a league-low 133 turnovers on the year.
SCOUTING ST. CLOUD: The Huskies (11-4, 7-2 NSIC) travel to Upper Iowa on Friday before Saturday's tilt in Winona. St. Cloud enters the weekend on a three-game winning streak, and has won five of its last six overall. The Huskies play a hard-nosed brand of basketball with a stout defense and an aggressive offensive style. St. Cloud ranks third in the NSIC in scoring defense (68.3 ppg). Offensively, the Huskies have attempted the third-fewest three-pointers in the league (286), and are shooting just 33% from downtown. St. Cloud shoots 54% inside the perimeter. The Huskies are one of the top rebounding teams on both ends of the court in the league. Jon Averkamp leads the team in scoring (20.3 ppg) on 60% shooting, while ranking 10th in the NSIC in rebounding (7.0). Sean Smith ranks second in the league in rebounding (9.3).
RECENT HISTORY: Winona State has won seven of its last nine contests against Duluth, including two straight. The Warriors have won 11 of their last 14 matchups with St. Cloud, but have split the last two games.
LAST WEEKEND: The Warriors pulled out a pair of gritty wins last weekend over SMSU and Sioux Falls. On Friday against SMSU, Tommy Gathje knocked down the go-ahead three-pointer with 1:23 left on the clock, while Corey Jeffs had a blocked shot and a pair of big offensive rebounds to help seal the win. On Saturday against USF, Charlie Koontz scored five points of the final six points over the final three minutes of play, including a pivotal three-point play, to spark a late WSU rally and win.
HOME COOKING: The Warriors have enjoyed a majority of their success at home this season, posting an 8-1 record in McCown Gymnasium. WSU is 2-5 away from home. The Warriors' success at home has been due in large part to their offense clicking on their home court. WSU is shooting 50% from the field and 44% from beyond the arc in home games, while averaging 82.6 ppg. Away from home, Winona is shooting 42% overall and just 36% from downtown, while averaging 70.1 ppg.
NEW YEAR, NEW ME: Freshman forward Kevion Taylor had his coming out party last Friday in WSU's win over SMSU. The Milwaukee, Wis. Native posted his first career double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds (both career highs) on 8-15 shooting, including a 4-8 effort from downtown. Taylor is averaging 8.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in his rookie campaign.
ON GUARD: Junior shooting guard Mason Domask ranks second on the team in scoring (12.6 ppg) and leads the Warriors in three-point shooting (52%) this season. Domask is shooting 64% from downtown (23-36) over his last eight games. Point guard Caleb Wagner is averaging 12.8 points per contest since being inserted in the starting lineup (8 games). Wagner leads WSU in assists, dishing out 4.5 per game (72 total).
LEAD BY EXAMPLE: Winona's lone senior, Corey Jeffs, ranks third on the team this season in scoring (11.8 ppg). The Melbourne, Australia native has started in all 16 games this season, and leads the Warriors with 5.3 rebounds per contest.
