WINONA, Minn. - The Winona State University men's basketball team will host #5 University of Minnesota Duluth on Friday, January 14 as the Warriors return home from a two-game NSIC sweep last weekend on the road.
Winona State (9-4, 5-3 NSIC South) will take on the unbeaten #5 Bulldogs (15-0, 8-0 NSIC North) looking for their third home court win over a nationally ranked opponent this season, as WSU has already dispatched then-#17 Minnesota State and then-#13 Upper Iowa on the home hardwood of McCown Gymnasium. UMD might pose the toughest test yet this year for Winona State, as the NSIC North leaders have proven to be dominant so far in 2021-22.
Read on for more regarding the Winona State men's basketball team as they host the #5 University of Minnesota Duluth on Friday, January 14.
Who: Winona State University vs Minnesota Duluth
What: The Warriors (9-4, 5-3 NSIC South) will face the Bulldogs (15-0, 8-0 NSIC North)
When: Friday, January 14 with a.5:30pm CST start.
Where: McCown Gymnasium, home of WNB Financial Court, on the campus of Winona State University.
Winona State - #5 Minnesota Duluth MBB Notables:
Let's keep 'er moving, Warriors!
WSU has not lost in 2022 with three straight wins, knocking off #13 Upper Iowa 73-68 OT, Bemidji State 79-74, and Minnesota Crookston 70-65, all in the month of January.
Winona State will take on the top two teams in the NSIC North standings this weekend. Minnesota Duluth is in first at 8-0 in the NSIC and SCSU is 4-3 in the league and currently second in the NSIC North.
That '70's show: Winona State has finished with a point total in the 70's in five of their last eight games.
The Warriors are 3-0 at home this season with two victories over ranked opponents. WSU defeated #17 Minnesota State and #13 Upper Iowa earlier this season. They will look to add another ranked victory to their resume on Friday against #5 Minnesota Duluth.
Winona State holds a 9-4 overall record and is 5-3 within the NSIC South Division. Their current three-game winning streak has WSU tied for fourth overall in the NSIC and tied for third in the NSIC South.
The Warriors traveled north last weekend and defeated two NSIC North opponents, Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston. Each game was decided by five points, and WSU was able to make key plays down the stretch to close out both games.
WSU has the third-best defense in the NSIC, allowing just 66.7 points/game to their opponents this season.
The Warriors average 72 points/game on the offensive end, and hold a 5.3 point scoring margin over their opponents.
The Warriors average the fifth-most threes in the NSIC with 8.4 three pointers per game at a .343 rate.
Devin Whitelow is found in the top-10 in the NSIC in assists (3.8/game), assist/turnover ratio (1.9), and steals (1.4).
Alec Rosner leads the Warriors with 16.7 points/game and 35.2 min/game, both in the top-10 within the NSIC. He is coming off a career-high 29 points in a road win at Minnesota Crookston last weekend.
Heading into the weekend, Winona State is tied for third in the NSIC South standings with a 5-3 NSIC record. Six of the eight NSIC South teams are within two games of each other, ranging from 4-4 to 6-2.
Luke Martens has four double-doubles in his last six games. The 6-3 forward has been a force to reckon with on the glass, and is averaging 8.2 rebounds/game.
About Minnesota Duluth:
All five of Minnesota Duluth's starters average more than 10 points/game, with Drew Blair (18.7) and Austin Andrews (17.8) leading the pack. The Bulldogs have the highest-scoring offense in the NSIC averaging 89 points/game.
Bulldogs enter the weekend 15-0 and 8-0 in the NSIC. They are one of five undefeated teams in NCAA Division II men's basketball and are the only team to have 15 or more wins.
Among UMD's impressive wins this year was a 109-107 2OT victory over Ferris State on January 2, a fill-in game made possible due to a COVID cancellation. Ferris State was ranked 10th at the time and were NCAA Division II champions in 2018.
Minnesota Duluth has climbed the national polls with their start to the season, and are currently ranked No. 5 in the NABC poll and No. 6 in the D2SIDA poll.
UMD has the best offense in the NSIC and are seventh nationally averaging 89 points/game. They also have a league-best and nationally top-10 scoring margin of 20.3 points.
Minnesota Duluth is scoring the ball with the highest percentage in the NSIC, shooting 52.7% from the field and 38.7% from deep. They also hold their opponents to the lowest shooting rate at .407 from the floor and .306 from beyond the arc.
Drew Blair leads UMD with 18.7 points/game and Austin Andrews is second with 17.8 points/game. Both marks are top-10 in the NSIC.
Joshua Brown (14.3), Charlie Katona (11.9), and Jack Middleton (10.9) round out the Bulldog starting five who all average double-digit points each game.
Austin Andrews is coming off NSIC North Division Player of the Week honors where he scored 22 points on 10-15 shooting against CSP last weekend. This was his fourth such honor this season.
Minnesota Duluth will travel to Upper Iowa on Saturday, Jan. 15th after playing WSU in McCown on Friday evening.
For the most up-to-date news in Warrior Athletics, please visit: 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
