KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Winona State University dug itself out of a massive first-half hole against (RV) Washburn University on Saturday afternoon to take a one-point halftime lead only to see the Ichabods rally back in the second half for a double-digit victory.
The Warriors erased a 17-point deficit early in the first half of action and carried a 30-29 edge into the break before Washburn shut down WSU offensively to prevail with a 67-54 win.
After a frigid shooting performance on Friday to open the season at the Central Region Challenge, Winona State shot 40 percent from the field in the opening half against Washburn to rally for a halftime lead. The Ichabods answered by limited the Warriors to nine field goals in the second half and a 30 percent clip from the field for Winona State's second setback in as many days.
Washburn raced out to a 21-4 advantage midway through the first half before the Warriors finally caught fire, connecting on eight of their next 12 shots to make it a 24-21 affair. Kevion Taylor and Alier Riak combined for 10 of Winona State's 17 points over the run which spanned six minutes.
Trailing 26-21 with 3:27 left on the clock, Andrea Lo Biondo slashed through the paint to spark a stretch of six-unanswered WSU points that Caleb Wagner and Taylor closed at the free throw line for a 27-26 Warrior lead. Taylor scored 11 of Winona State's final 15 points as the Warriors went into the locker room with a one-point lead.
The second half was a different story, as the Ichabods shut down Taylor to the tune of just one point, and collectively stymied the WSU offense. Sophomore Alec Rosner scored nine of his team-leading 13 points in the second half, but it wasn't nearly enough. Washburn overcame its deficit by scoring the first points of the second frame and never trailed again.
Winona State was plagued by 10 turnovers for the second game in a row, which the Ichabods turned into 14 points, while Washburn also had 13 second-chance points off 11 offensive boards. Washburn bested WSU on the glass in total, 46-35.
The Warriors return to McCown Gymnasium for a stretch of four-straight non-conference games beginning on Wednesday, November 13 against Clarke University at 7 p.m.
