SIOUX FALLS, SD – After hitting just five three-pointers over the Warrior's first three games, senior
Kevion Taylor went off from behind the arc Saturday against Augustana, hitting seven threes and scoring a season high 28 points in route to an 87-82 victory. The Warriors used the cushion of a 12-point lead at halftime to keep the Vikings at bay and get their first NSIC-South win of the year.
The Warriors started the game off hot, hitting their first four shots to jump out to a 9-2 lead. Augie battled back to make it 11-8 four minutes into the game, but five points from Taylor and a three by
Dalante Peyton gave the Warriors a comfortable 19-8 lead. After the Vikings cut the lead to just four with 5:38 left in the half, Winona State went on a 10-0 run, capped off by an
Owen King layup and a pair of free throws by
Devin Whitelow. King would hit a jumper at the end of the half to give the Warriors a 43-31 lead at halftime.
The second half saw the Augustana offense come alive, as they started the game on a 13-2 run to cut the Winona State lead to just one four minutes into the second half. After an
Andrea Lo Biondo three stopped the bleeding, the Warriors slowly brought their lead back up to 9 with 11 minutes to go in the contest. That is when junior
Nick Klug caught fire, as the Burlington, Wis. native hit four straight three-pointers to keep the hot shooting Vikings at bay. The Vikings kept coming though as they managed to cut the lead down to four with just 2:27 left in the game. That is when it was Taylor's time to shine, as he hit a clutch layup and three pointer to put the game away.
Winona State shot an impressive 52.9% from the floor, including a solid 15-34 from three. WSU hit 18 free throws compared to just 10 for Augustana.
The Warriors were led in points by Taylor with 28, followed by
Devin Whitelow with 15 and
Nick Klug with 14. Whitelow and
Owen King each had five assists apiece, while
Andrea Lo Biondo was the high rebounder for the Warriors with six.
The Warriors will look to get a weekend sweep of Augustana as they face the Vikings again tomorrow at 1 p.m. in Sioux Falls, SD.
Latest news in Warrior Athletics is at:
www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and
@WinonaStateATH.
About Winona State University Athletics:
The Winona State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, as an integral part of the educational mission of the institution, is committed to offering opportunities to experience academic and athletic excellence for our student-athletes through two simple words: Graduate Champions.
Fourteen Warrior programs compete at the NCAA Division II level within the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Winona State University competes as an affiliate member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in the sport of women's gymnastics.
Media Contact: Pete Watkins, Director of Athletic Communications | Ph: 507.457.5577 | Email: pwatkins@winona.edu
