WINONA, Minn. – Winona State University suffocated Waldorf University in the second half of the Warriors' home opener Saturday evening en route to an 87-44 victory in McCown Gymnasium.
The Warriors surrendered just two second-half field goals and nine total points to Waldorf while forcing the visiting team to commit eight turnovers over the final 20 minutes of action.
Offensively, Winona State torched Waldorf for 48 points in the second half while shooting 53 percent from the field and connecting on 10 of 18 three-point attempts.
After a slow shooting start in their first two games, the Warriors shot 49 percent in the ballgame and went 16-31 from beyond the arc. Mason Domask, Charlie Koontz and Caleb Wagner each drained a trio of buckets from downtown. Wagner paced WSU with 16 points in 18 minutes off the bench.
Tommy Gathje chipped in 13 points, followed by Koontz with 10, and Kevion Taylor registered his first double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 boards. Devin Whitelow dished out a career-best nine assists. WSU tallied 22 assists compared to just six turnovers on the night.
The Warriors denied Waldorf its first field goal of the second half until the 9:37 mark as the floodgates had already opened for the home team with a 64-41 lead. Koontz and Domask each connected from beyond the arc to begin the half as WSU opened the frame with a 24-2 explosion over the first 10 minutes of the period.
Waldorf hung with Winona State in the first half, taking a 31-28 lead with 4:56 remaining in the frame. The Warriors closed the opening period on an 11-4 run and returned from the locker room in the second half to dominate Waldorf.
Winona State cashed in Waldorf's 13 turnovers into 23 points. Dalante Peyton had a team-best three steals. The Warriors' transition game was firing on all cylinders on both end of the court as WSU owned a 20-0 advantage in fastbreak points.
The freshman duo of Nick Klug and Alec Rosner combined for nine points as Klug added two assists and a steal to his stat line.
Winona State (1-2) will look to get back to .500 with another non-conference game across town on Tuesday against Saint Mary's University. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. in the Cardinals' gym.
