WINONA, Minn. – The Winona State University men's basketball team once again dug itself into an insurmountable hole early, this time inside McCown Gymnasium on Wednesday night, and could not rally back in a 73-70 loss to Clarke University.
The Warriors dropped to 0-3 with the loss as they began a four-game homestand.
Kevion Taylor scored 22 of his team-leading 27 points in the second half, but it wasn't enough to overcome another poor shooting performance in the first half that saw WSU trail at the break, 37-24.
Wednesday night's script was all too familiar for the Warriors early this season, as the home team shot just 28 percent in the opening frame. Winona State's struggles continued from the arc in a 4-for-20 effort over the first 20 minutes of action that saw the Pride lead from the opening tip. The Warriors knocked down just one of their first 11 attempts from downtown to begin the affair.
Clarke shot 44 percent from the field in the first half, but also had its share of struggles from three-point range (4-15).
The Warriors' double-digit halftime deficit was exacerbated by the Pride's ability to penetrate the lane with 20 points in the paint, compared to just 10 by Winona State.
WSU found its rhythm from beyond the arc in the second half, shooting 9-of-23, which helped the Warriors erase a 15-point deficit at the 13:57 mark.
Back-to-back three-pointers by Taylor beginning at the 4:13 mark followed by a triple from Caleb Wagner slashed Clarke's lead to 66-65 with 3:36 remaining. Taylor proceeded to give Winona State its first, and only lead of the night, with a trio of free throws with 1:31 left on the clock.
Taylor scored 14 of the Warriors' final 17 points over the final six-plus minutes.
Following Taylor's go-ahead free throws, Darius Lasley hit a difficult step-back jumper with 1:13 remaining and the Pride held on for the win.
Wagner chipped in 22 points to go along with a team-best six assists and nine rebounds in the setback, while Andrea Lo Biondo scored a season-high 11 points with five boards.
Winona State lost the battle on the glass for the third straight outing, as Clarke held a 41-37 rebounding edge.
The Warriors return to McCown Gymnasium later this weekend and host Michigan Tech on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.
