WINONA, Minn. – What a difference a weekend can make. After opening the conference slate with an 0-3 record, the outlook was somewhat bleak for the Winona State University men's basketball team. Apparently, all the Warriors needed was some home cooking.
Winona State dispatched of Mankato on Friday night with a 16-point victory and came from behind on Saturday for a 79-77 triumph over Concordia-St. Paul.
Caleb Wagner led all scorers with 23 points as the senior guard eclipsed 1,000 points in his Warrior career. He reached the milestone with a three-pointer in the opening half where he went 2-2 from beyond the arc early and finished the night 3-6 from downtown. Wagner becomes the 38th player in program history to reach the milestone.
Winona State improves to 5-6 (2-3 NSIC) while CSP falls to 3-5 (1-3 NSIC) after dropping a pair of weekend contests.
In an up-tempo game, the Golden Bears shot the lights out in the first half to take a 42-41 lead into the break. CSP shot 63 percent from the field and 6-9 from three-point land. The Warriors kept pace with a 48 percent effort from the field and went 6-6 from the free throw line in the first half of action.
WSU went 13-15 on the night collectively from the charity stripe which helped secure the win.
The Warriors also played well in transition, outscoring the Golden Bears in fastbreak points, 22-11. Winona State capitalized on 17 CSP turnovers which translated into 22 points for the home team. For the second straight night, the Warriors also posted a solid turnover-to-assist ratio with 17 assists compared to nine miscues.
Wagner and Devin Whitelow dished out six assists apiece.
Winona State quickly erased its one-point halftime deficit in the early minutes of the second half and took a four-point lead. From there, the Golden Bears responded with an eight-points run to claim a 53-49 edge with 15:24 remaining in the frame.
The teams went on to trade baskets and the lead seven times over the final 15 minutes of play with Winona State pulling in front for good at the 1:11 mark on a pair of free throws by Wagner. The Warriors then forced a costly CSP turnover on the Golden Bears next possession and Kevion Taylor hit the dagger from beyond the arc for a 76-72 WSU lead with 29 seconds left.
After trading a set of free throws Wagner got his hands on another loose ball to force the final CSP turnover and sealed the win at the charity stripe.
Wagner stuffed the stat sheet with four rebounds and three steals to go along with his 23 points and six assists. The senior concluded the game with 1,015 career points. Taylor, who scored 18, is also knocking on the door of 1,000 career points as he'll enter next Friday's tilt with 986 in his career.
Andrea Lo Biondo led the team with seven rebounds and recorded a season-best 15 points, including a pair of fastbreak dunks on for the highlight reel. Alec Rosner also chipped in 10 points.
The Warriors close their current homestand and the 2019 calendar year on Friday, December 21 against Upper Iowa. Tipoff is slated for 4 p.m. inside McCown Gymnasium.
