WAYNE, Neb. – A 23-point point effort from sophomore Kevion Taylor wasn't enough Friday night in Winona State University's 92-79 setback at Wayne State College. After dropping a career-best 24 points earlier this season against the Wildcats, Taylor has averaged 17 points per contest in his young career against the NSIC South foe.
The Warrior defense, which entered the tilt ranked sixth in the league at 70 points per contest, surrendered its most of the season to the Wildcats while dropping their fifth consecutive game. Winona State falls to 5-10 (2-7 NSIC) while Wayne State (12-3, 7-2 NSIC) continues as one of the best teams in the conference.
The final five minutes of the first half proved to be the difference in the ballgame as Wayne State outscored WSU, 20-7.
Midway through the opening frame Taylor's three-point basket staked the Warriors to a 20-14 lead, and a three-pointer by Mason Domask secured a 25-19 WSU lead at the 8:29 mark of the first half. The Warriors regained a six-point advantage on their next possession on a driving layup by Caleb Wagner in front of an eight-point run by the Wildcats to give the home team a 29-27 edge with 6:17 remaining. Tommy Gathje connected from downtown with 5:03 left on the clock as Winona State regained a slight 30-29 lead before Wayne State went on its torrid run into the break.
The Wildcats went 7-11 from the field over the next five minutes of play for a 12-point halftime lead. Wayne State knocked down four three-pointers during that span including three in a row by Vance Janssen that forced WSU timeouts on back-to-back possessions.
The Wildcats went on to shoot 48 percent from the field and go 11-22 from beyond the arc for the night. Winona State's 47 percent field goal clip was its best in its last five games, however, the Warriors' nine turnovers were their most in over a month and led to 11 Wayne State points.
Playing catchup in the second half, WSU went 4-12 from beyond the arc and was only outscored by one point over the final 20 minutes, but the Wildcats would not relent. Wayne State didn't commit a single turnover for the duration of the second half and went 5-11 from downtown and 12-13 from the charity stripe to maintain a comfortable lead to the finish.
Gathje scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half of play and pulled down a team-best seven rebounds. Devin Whitelow dished out five assists for WSU in the loss.
The Warriors' challenging road trip continues Saturday against one of the top teams in the NSIC South – Augustana University. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. in Sioux Falls, S.D.
