MINOT, N.D. – Winona State University prevailed victorious on its first stop of the final NSIC North trip of the regular season over Minot State University on Friday night, 73-68. Kevion Taylor and Caleb Wagner combined for 49 Warriors points on 8-12 shooting from three-point land.

Collectively, WSU shot 40 percent from the field and downtown in the triumph, knocking down 11-27 shots from beyond the arc.

The Warriors improve to 13-10 (10-7 NSIC) while Minot State falls to 10-13 (4-13 NSIC). Winona State owns a 9-2 all-time record against the Beavers.

The Warriors torched the Beavers from three-point range in the opening half (8-16) to take a 34-27 advantage into halftime.

Minot State took just its second lead of the night, 14-11, at the 9:17 mark of the first half before Winona State stepped on the gas. Nick Klug lit the fuse with a triple to knot the score which sparked an 11-point Warrior run for a 22-14 lead. Devin Whitelow connected from downtown with 3:12 remaining in the frame ahead of back-to-back triples by Taylor to pad the WSU lead to 34-23 with 1:353 left on the clock.

The Beavers came out of the gate fast in the second half and turned the tilt into no more than a two-possession game until Wagner's three-pointer at the 2:28 mark which extended the Warrior lead to 71-63. Minot State went on to score five unanswered points while holding WSU without a field goal for the remainder of the contest, but Wagner finally sealed the win with a pair of free throws in the waning seconds.

Taylor recorded his sixth double-double of the year by pulling down a game-high 15 rebounds to go along with his 23 points. Wagner stuffed the stat sheet with 26 points, six boards, three assists and two steals.

Winona State dished out 12 assists, led by Whitelow (4), and committed just four team turnovers on the night.

The Warriors will seek a weekend sweep on Saturday at UMary with game time slated for 5:30 p.m.