WINONA, Minn. – The Warrior men's basketball team hosts Concordia University, St. Paul and Minnesota State Mankato in the Warriors' final home games of the 2018-19 season. WSU will celebrate Senior Night prior to tipoff against Mankato.
Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. with the Golden Bears on Friday night with the finale slated for 5:30 p.m. on Friday against the Mavericks.
The Warriors will look to build some positive momentum this weekend as they conclude the regular season before hitting the road next Wednesday for the opening round of the NSIC Tournament. Playoff pairings and locations will be announced Saturday night.
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SCOUTING CSP: The Golden Bears (8-18, 3-17 NSIC) have lost nine straight entering the final weekend of the regular season. CSP is 1-9 on the road this year and suffered an 82-66 loss at home to WSU in December. The Golden Bears are averaging 77.5 ppg offensively, but sport the second-worst scoring defense in the NSIC (85.0 ppg). The Warriors will look to expose the CSP defense that also ranks second-to-last in three-point shooting defense (39.4%). WSU will also look to capitalize on the Golden Bear offensive that has coughed up 317 turnovers this year. Bryndan Matthews and Isaiah McKay lead the offense and rank eighth in the NSIC in scoring this season (18.6). Matthews also ranks second in the league in field goal percentage (58.8%) and is third in in rebounds/game (8.2).
SCOUTING MANKATO: The Mavericks (17-9, 13-7 NSIC) are 9-2 away from home this season and travel to Upper Iowa Friday before the weekend finale in Winona. Mankato is currently No. 7 in the first release of the Central Region rankings. The Mavericks rank second in the NSIC in scoring offense (82.9 ppg) and are 11th in scoring defense (77.1). Despite their defensive deficiencies, Mankato has the league's best three-point shooting defense (32.3%). The Warriors shot just 30% (9-for-30) from downtown in a 78-62 loss at Mankato in December. WSU did play that game without Koontz and Gathje. Cameron Kirksey ranks 10th in the NSIC in scoring average (18.0 ppg) and Kevin Krieger is fourth in rebounds/game (8.1). Kirksey scored 23 in the last meeting against WSU and is shooting 54% on the year.
JEKYLL & HYDE SEASON: The Warriors have experienced a roller coaster ride in the win-loss column all season long. WSU enters the weekend having lost two straight, and four of its last five, after putting together a stretch in January of five wins over six games which included four straight victories. The Warriors have a pair of four-game winning streaks on the year, but have also endured a five-game skid as the calendar turned to 2019. The most positive trend over the past 11 games has been the Warriors' uptick in three-point shooting (43.8%). However, WSU is just 6-5 in that span.
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP: Second-year forward Kevion Taylor has continued to blossom in 2018-19 and leads WSU in both scoring (16.5 ppg) and rebounding (6.5) this season. The sophomore has posted four double-doubles on the year and is averaging 19.6 ppg in the second half of the year. Taylor dropped a career-best 32 points on January 19 at Bemidji State. He is shooting a career-high 41.3% from downtown this season.
ON THE VERGE OF HISTORY: Fellow sophomore Devin Whitelow enters the weekend with the best turnover/assist ratio in the country (5.84) That mark is currently on pace to set an NCAA men's basketball record across all three divisions. The current record is held by John Carroll's Sean Flannery (5.65 – 2018, DIII) followed by Iowa State's Monte Morris (5.17 – 2017, DI). The current DII record is owned by Florida Southern's Brandon Jenkins (4.66 – 2011)
SWIPE RIGHT: Winona State's scoring defense ranks fifth in the NSIC this year (71.5 ppg) and has been aided by the Warriors' ability to create turnovers. WSU is averaging 5.65 steals/game and has forced 294 opponent miscues. Offensively, the Warriors' have committed the fewest turnovers in the league (207) and own the second-best turnover margin in the NSIC (+3.35).
BENCHMARK: With the impending departure of three seniors on the roster, the freshman trio of Nick Klug, Luke Martens and Alec Rosner have all gained valuable experience while contributing significant minutes off the bench this year. Last weekend, Klug went 6-for-12 from downtown over two games and scored a career-best 16 points at Sioux Falls. Rosner has played in 24 games this year, including five starts, and Martens has appeared in all but one game this season.
SENIOR SEND OFF: Saturday night will mark the final home game inside McCown Gymnasium in the careers of Mason Domask, Charlie Koontz and Tommy Gathje. Domask enters the weekend as a 41% career shooter from downtown in 101 games. Koontz (154 points) is one basket shy of a new career high in the scoring column. Gathje enters play with 386 career rebounds and 897 points over 100 games. Senior Connor Flack is expected to return for the 2019-20 campaign after receiving a medical redshirt this season.
