WINONA, Minn. – After splitting a pair of drastically different outcomes last weekend to open 2020, the Winona State Warriors return home to begin a four-game homestand against Wayne State and Augustana University.
Tipoff against the Wayne State Wildcats on Friday is set for 5:30 p.m. with Saturday's finale against the Vikings slated for 3:30 p.m.
WSU played great and defeated previously-ranked MSU Moorhead in overtime last Friday before an uncharacteristically poor shooting performance in a lopsided 69-49 loss at Northern State Saturday. The Warriors will look to get back on track this weekend as they face two teams they have already beaten this season. Both games came down to the wire, but the Warriors managed to use their patented late-game heroics in both road contests to come away with victories.
SCOUTING WAYNE STATE: The Wildcats enter the weekend at 10-4 (5-3 NSIC) and currently sit in fourth place in the NSIC South. Wayne State is coming off a wire-to-wire 79-62 victory over SMSU last Saturday and has won three of its last four games. The Wildcats rank second in the NSIC with 77.8 ppg and shoot an impressive 44.6% from the field. The key to victory for the Warriors will be containing the NSIC's leading scorer, junior Erin Norling, who is currently averaging 20.0 ppg on 47% shooting from the field.
SCOUTING AUGIE: The Vikings (6-6, 2-6 NSIC) travel to Upper Iowa on Friday before the weekend finale in Winona. Augustana enters the weekend in sixth place in the NSIC South. Augie is coming off a close 76-72 loss to No. 18 Sioux Falls and is currently mired in a four-game losing streak. The Vikings have struggled from behind the arc as they rank dead last in the NSIC (28.3%). However, they make up for that with their ball control and defense, as they rank second in the NSIC in steals (10.58) and turnover margin (+6.83). The Vikings are led on offense by the trio of Vishe' Rabb, Abby Hora, and Lauren Sees, who are all averaging above 12 ppg.
CLOSING TIME: The Warriors have been stellar at closing out games this season, as they are 6-0 in games decided by six points or less and overtime. Compare that stat to last year's team who went just 6-7 in games decided by six points or less and overtime. WSU's latest comeback victory was against MSU Moorhead on Friday, where the Warriors outscored the Dragons 20-12 in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime, where they prevailed on the road with a two-point triumph.
BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE: Junior center Emma Fee has been having a solid year, averaging 8.6 ppg to go along with 6.1 rbg. But against MSU Moorhead, she may have just hit her stride. Fee led the Warriors with a monster game of 27 points and 14 rebounds while playing all 40 minutes, all of which are career highs. Fee shot 10-17 from the field and even made the first three-pointer of her career. The Warriors will look to Fee to continue that stellar play in the second half of the 2019-20 season as they compete for an NSIC title.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY: No matter the outcome, junior forward Taylor Hustad has been a model of consistency this season. She has scored in double figures in eight of 12 games this year and sits in a tie for 15th in the nation with seven double-doubles on the season. Hustad scored nearly half of the Warrior's points against Northern State, as she posted a stat line of 23 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 10-13 from the field. She leads the team in scoring (13.7) and rebounding (9.6) thus far – both which are career highs. She posted career bests against Upper Iowa in late December of 28 points and 15 rebounds.
THROWN INTO THE FIRE: With the Warriors being such a young team, coach Scott Ballard knew that his freshmen were going to have to step up this season. Caitlin Riley, Abby Callahan, Alex Dornfeld, Ava Sergio and Shea Dechant have all played significant minutes and roles this season. Riley is the team's leading three-point shooter and averages 9.6 ppg. Callahan is averaging almost 12 minutes a game while Dornfeld and Sergio give the Warriors plenty of depth at the center position. Dechant is shooting 55.6% from the field this season and just scored a career-high six points against Northern State on Saturday – all coming in the fourth quarter.
