ABERDEEN, S.D. – Winona State University saw its season-best four-game winning streak halted Saturday night by Northern State University in an exciting, but unsatisfying finish for the Warriors, as the Wolves held off the hungry road team, 72-68.
WSU overcame a nine-point Norther State lead midway through the second half to knot the score at 63-all with 5:32 left to play before the Wolves pulled back in front and narrowly edge the Warriors.
Winona State falls back to the .500 mark at 7-7 (4-4 NSIC) after suffering its first loss since December 7th, while Northern State improves to 10-4 (6-2 NSIC). The Wolves were upset by Upper Iowa for their first home loss on Friday night before nearly suffering the same fate to WSU on Saturday.
Luke Martens, Keiron Goodwin and Andrea Lo Biondo each scored as part of six-unanswered Warrior points in the second-half run which extended to a 10-2 outburst that was capped by a layup by Kevion Taylor to tie the game at 63-63.
However, the home team never relinquished the lead and held on by their fingertips to the final whistle. Taylor knocked by a big three late in the half to cut the WSU deficit to one point and a layup by Caleb Wagner again made it a one-point affair with 12 seconds left on the clock.
Taylor posted his second straight double-double in the Winona State setback with team highs in points (21) and rebounds (13). Wagner chipped in 13 points and five assists while Lo Biondo tallied 10 points and six rebounds. Martens added nine points off the Warrior bench.
Both sides were very clean with the ball, combining for just 15 turnovers, while Northern State held the shooting advantage offensively. The Wolves also held a slight rebounding edge, 42-37, including eight offensive boards which translated into 11 second-chance points in the tightly-contested tilt.
Another big difference in the outcome was the charity stripe where NSU went 13-25 at the free throw line, while the road team had just five total attempts.
Winona State will open a four-game homestand next Friday when the Warriors host Wayne State College inside McCown Gymnasium at 7:30 p.m.
