WINONA, Minn. – Six players scored in double digits Tuesday night as Winona State University tallied its second straight non-conference victory at Saint Mary's University, 104-63. Sophomore Kevion Taylor registered his second double-double in as many games while netting a season-best 17 points.
Winona State (2-2) led wire-to-wire in the contest with Taylor cashing in the first bucket of the night for either side. The Warriors opened the game on a 17-2 run that extended to the 13:23 mark of the first half on a jump shot by Caleb Wagner. All five starters for WSU scored during the spurt before the Cardinals knocked down their second field goal with 12:38 left on the clock.
Following that made basket by SMU, Winona State scored nine straight as three-point shots by Dalante Peyton and Tommy Gathje pushed the Warrior lead to 29-6 midway through the opening half. The WSU lead swelled to 25 points on a short jumper by Nick Klug late in the frame before fellow freshman Luke Martens dropped four straight points leading into the break to give the Warriors a 56-29 advantage.
All 11 Warriors to step on the court in the first half contributed as least two points as Winona State shot 66.7 percent from the field and 8-11 from beyond the arc.
Winona State continued its hot shooting in the second half with a 54.5 percent clip and a 5-10 effort from downtown. Peyton and Taylor chipped in eight points apiece in the second period. Klug recorded five of his career-best eight assists in the final 20 minutes of action.
WSU dished out 21 total assists while committing just seven turnovers against the Cardinals. The Warriors cashed in 12 SMU turnovers into 19 points offensively. Winona State also dominated the lane on the night, outscoring the Cardinals in the paint, 20-2.
Gathje finished the night with 12 points and eight rebounds. Martens, who sustained an injury on Saturday night, returned to post a career-best 10 points in the Warrior win.
Winona State wraps up its non-conference schedule after the holiday at home against Viterbo University on Tuesday. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. in McCown Gymnasium.
