WINONA, Minn. – Winona State University returns to McCown Gymnasium for its second-to-last homestand of the year against a pair of NSIC North opponents. The Warriors host the NSIC North-leading Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and conclude the weekend with a matchup vs. St. Cloud State on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
The Warriors' next four games will come against Northern foes before concluding the regular season with four NSIC South contests. WSU has won four of its last five and eight of its last 11 overall. Two of those losses came in overtime, including a three OT affair with Wayne State.
The Warriors are 9-2 inside McCown Gymnasium this season where they are shooting 39% from beyond the arc and scoring 80.3 ppg while holding opponents to a 73.4 scoring average.
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SCOUTING DULUTH: The Bulldogs (16-4, 11-3 NSIC) have won three straight and seven of their last eight. UMD leads the league in scoring offense (84.5 ppg) and ranks eighth in scoring defense (73.2). The Bulldogs excel from three-point range both offensively (41%) and defensively, limiting opponents to a 32% clip from downtown. WSU is right behind UMD in three-point defense (34.5%). Brandon Myer (20.9 ppg) leads a loaded offense with three others averaging double figures. Myers also leads the team and ranks fourth in the NSIC in rebounding (9.2). Myers, Brew Blair (16.5 ppg) and Logan Rohrscheib are each shooting at least 40% from three-point land with Myers and Rohrscheib shooting better than 45%. Winona State has won five of its last six meetings with the Bulldogs, including a pair of wins last year that saw the Warriors travel to Duluth for a first round tournament upset.
SCOUTING ST. CLOUD: The Huskies (10-10, 7-7 NSIC) enter the weekend on a three-game losing streak and will travel to Upper Iowa prior to Saturday's finale in Winona. St. Cloud is just 2-8 away from home this season. The Huskies rank sixth in the NSIC in scoring offense (78.8 ppg) and are seventh in scoring defense (73.0). SCSU is one of the top shooting teams in the league (48%), but also allows opponents to shoot at a 47.2% clip. Similar to Winona State, the Huskies do not turn over the ball often, and lead the NSIC in turnover margin (+3.3). SCSU ranks third in the conference in forcing opponent turnovers (264). Trevon Marshall leads the team and ranks fourth in the NSIC in scoring (20.9) while shooting 48% from the field. Anthony Roberts is averaging 13.1 ppg with Ilya Tyrtyshnik averaging 11.2 on 39% shooting from downtown. Marshall also ranks fourth in the NSIC in assists/game (4.9)
HISTORIC PERFORMANCE: In last Saturday's overtime loss at Sioux Falls, Caleb Wagner turned in a Kobe-like performance for the Warriors. The senior filled the basket with 47 points – tied for second-most in program single-game history (Carter Glad, 1989 & Dave Meisner, 1966). Wagner's previous career high came earlier this season when he scored 35 points against Bethany Lutheran. Wagner went 18-22 from the field at Sioux Falls, including a 6-7 effort from downtown, with his only miss coming from beyond half court. His 20.1 ppg average is a new career high this year and ranks sixth in the NSIC.
#24: Junior Kevion Taylor continues to lead WSU and rank fifth in the NSIC in scoring (20.3 ppg). Along with his scoring output, he also ranks 10th in the league in rebounding (7.6) – both numbers standing as new career highs. Taylor also shot the lights out from downtown last weekend at a 64.7% clip (11-17) and leads the NSIC in three-point field goals/game (3.7). Taylor has scored at least 20 points in nine of his last 11 games.
DOWNTOWN: Winona State has sunk at least 10 three-pointers in 19 of its 20 games this season. The Warriors have shot 40% or better from downtown in five straight games and own a 4-1 record over that span. Collectively, WSU ranks sixth in the country in total three-point attempts (616) and is eighth in converted triples (229). Kevion Taylor ranks fifth in the nation in total three-pointers attempted (178) and is sixth in made attempts (74).
EARNED, NOT GIVEN: Head Coach Todd Eisner's Warrior will seldom beat themselves in a system that preaches defense and doing the little things right. This season, Winona State is among the best in NCAA Division II in ball control. The Warriors' 9.4 turnovers/game are the second fewest in the country and their 187 total turnovers are seventh-best. Led once again by Devin Whitelow, WSU collectively ranks 17th in the nation in assist/turnover ratio. Whitelow, who set the NCAA record a year ago at 5.96, again leads the NSIC in that category and ranks third in the country at 4.19 this season.
