MARSHALL, Minn. – Winona State University erased a 10-point halftime deficit at Southwest Minnesota State University Saturday night, only to suffer its second loss of four points or less in as many nights as the Mustangs held on for a 69-67 triumph on their home court.

The Warriors were uncharacteristically sloppy with the ball in the loss, committing 13 turnovers; their second-highest total of the year which saw the Mustangs cashed those miscues into 20 points offensively.

WSU dominated the boards to a 39-27 advantage, including 10 on the offensive glass, for nine second-chance points.

The Warriors dug themselves a hole in the first half by shooting just 2-of-11 from downtown, before flipping the switch in the final period at a 7-for-11 clip. However, the late offensive turnaround wasn't enough to pull off the road win.

With 14:12 remaining in the second half, Caleb Wagner drilled a three to spark a nine-point run that saw Nick Klug and Dalante Peyton also connect from long range to give the Warriors a 51-45 edge. Back-to-back threes by Luke Martens and Alec Rosner midway through the half gave WSU its largest lead of the night at 61-51.

After putting together a 31-11 run to open the second half, the Warriors finally cooled off and the Mustangs began to chip away at their deficit. With a 10-point lead at the 9:50 mark, WSU only hit two more field goals for the duration of the game.

Charlie Koontz converted a layup at the 4:57 mark to give the Warriors a 67-62 lead in front of seven straight Mustangs points over the next three minutes. Neither side scored again with SMSU lead 69-67 with 1:21 left to play as the Mustangs held on for the win.

Kevion Taylor led WSU with 12 points on the night while Wagner added 11 points and five assists. Tommy Gathje tallied his second double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 boards. Koontz also grabbed 10 boards off the bench to go along with eight points.

Winona State falls to 11-15 (8-12 NSIC) while splitting the season series with SMSU (15-11, 10-10 NSIC).

The Warriors wrap up the regular season with a pair of home games next weekend in McCown Gymnasium against CSP and Mankato on February 22-23.