WINONA, Minn. – The red-hot Winona State Warriors conclude the regular season in McCown Gymnasium this weekend against Augustana University and Wayne State College. The Warriors host the Vikings Friday night at 8 p.m. followed by the regular season finale against the Wildcats at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
Prior to Saturday's contest, Winona State will honor Corey Jeffs on Senior Night. The Warriors will also host an Alumni Game on Saturday morning in McCown.
The Warriors have already clinched a home game in the first round of the NSIC Tournament on Wednesday, February 21. WSU has won 14 of its last 18 games, and posted a 10-2 record since the calendar flipped to 2018.
Both weekend contests will be aired live on HBC25, Stretch Internet and KQAL Radio.
Playoff ticket information will be made available to the public Monday morning.
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SCOUTING AUGUSTANA: The Vikings (14-12, 9-11 NSIC) have dropped four of their last five games entering the weekend. The Warriors earned an 84-80 victory at Augustana last month. The Vikings are second in the NSIC in scoring (82.5 ppg), but rank 12th in scoring defense (76.5). Augustana's offensive success is due in large part to its 16.69 assist/game which also rank second in the league. Jordan Spencer leads the Vikings in scoring at 15.4 points/game, followed by John Warren (14.2). Spencer leads the league in assists/game (7.8), and leads all Division II players with 204 on the year. Marcus Asmus ranks third in the NSIC in rebounding (8.3).
SCOUTING WAYNE STATE: The Wildcats (14-14, 9-11 NSIC) travel to Upper Iowa Friday before Saturday's regular season finale in Winona. Wayne State overcame a 12-point second half deficit, including a five-point WSU lead in the final two minutes, to defeat the Warriors earlier this season, 69-67. Joseph Trevin (19) and Kendall Jacks (15) paced the Wildcat victory. Jacks leads WSC with 13.8 points per game on 50.4% shooting which ranks seventh in the NSIC. The Wildcat scoring defense ranks fourth in the league, just behind WSU, at 72.7 points per contest. Wayne State is atop the conference in forcing opponent turnovers (388).
LAST WEEKEND: The Warriors notched their second straight road sweep with wins at Concordia and (RV) Mankato. WSU has won five straight on the road overall. Tommy Gathje was named the NSIC South Player of the Week after averaging 22.5 points, six rebounds and two assists over the weekend. He scored 22 of his season-high 24 points at Mankato in the second half. The junior is averaging 17 points per game on 64% shooting over his last seven games. Gathje ranks fifth in the NSIC in shooting on the year (55.1%).
HOME COOKING: The Warriors are 11-2 in McCown Gymnasium this season, and have won nine of their last 10 home games. Winona State is averaging 82.5 points per game (78.3 overall) on 49.6% shooting (47.3% overall) at home this season. The Warriors rank third in the NSIC in three-point shooting (40.7%), but are shooting a scorching 42% from beyond the arc at home.
DOWNTOWN: Winona drained a season-high 17 three-pointers on January 13 to defeat St. Cloud in overtime, 102-100. The Warriors are 12-4 when launching at least 25 three-pointers in a contest, and are 5-0 when knocking down at least 13 three-pointers in a game. Winona State has connected on at least one three-pointer in 528 consecutive games dating back to 2000.
NEW YEAR, NEW ME: Freshman Kevion Taylor and sophomore Caleb Wagner have each had strong second halves to their season which has contributed to the Warriors' overall success. Taylor had his coming out party when the calendar flipped to 2018, recording his first career double-double on January 5th with career highs in points (21) and rebounds (11). The forward is averaging 12.2 ppg over his last 12 games. Wagner is averaging 14.75 points over the same span, including four 20-point efforts.
HELPING HANDS: Point guard Caleb Wagner leads the team and ranks fifth in the NSIC with 4.7 assists/game. His 2.95 assists/turnover ratio also ranks fifth in the league and are 18th among all Division II players. Freshman guard Devin Whitelow owns a 4.0 assist/turnover ratio which would rank third in DII if he met the assists/game minimum of 3.0 (Whitelow 2.7).
SENIOR SEND OFF: Winona's lone senior, Corey Jeffs, enters the weekend with 850 points, 411 rebounds and 142 assists in his Warrior career. His career-high 33 points against St. Cloud earlier this year are the most by a Warrior in a single game this season. Jeffs has been a constant on the court over his four-year career and will look to lead Winona's charge into the postseason beginning next week.
