WINONA, Minn. – The Winona State University men's basketball team raced out to a 16-5 lead in the opening moments of their Saturday, January 15 showdown with St. Cloud State at home in McCown Gymnasium.  Then, the Warriors found another gear with Alec Rosner in the driver's seat and never looked back, beating the Huskies 94-72 to gain a valuable NSIC victory.

Rosner reached the 30-point plateau for the first time in his Warrior career, finishing with 34 points, the third-highest single-game total in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) men's basketball ranks so far this season.  

Connor Drew scored eight of his 13 points in the first five minutes of the game and was a key catalyst for head coach Todd Eisner and the Warriors in the early going.  Senior Devin Whitelow turned in a stellar performance as well, scoring 15 points and dishing out five assists.

Overall in the first half, WSU enjoyed one their most balanced first 20 minutes of the year with Whitelow (11), Rosner (10) and Drew (8) all dialed in from the opening tip. The Warriors were 8-of-13 (61.5%) from 3-point territory in the first half and enjoyed a 20-point cushion at one stage as they dominated SCSU in the opening stanza.

The Warriors scored the opening five points of the second half as well, a part of a nine-point run to restart play after the halftime break that kept the Huskies from establishing any hope of a comeback.  

Then, with 15 minutes remaining in the second half, Rosner took over.  

The junior from Appleton, Wis. hit a 3-pointer off an assist from Whitelow five minutes into the second half and then went on to score 16 more points over the rest of the game, proving to be almost unstoppable to the Huskies.

Rosner finished with an enviable stat line of 13-of-20 from the floor, including 5-of-8 from 3-point territory. He was also a perfect 3-for-3 from the foul line, handed out two assists, and hauled in a pair of rebounds. Rosner's individual career-high allowed WSU to set a season-high scoring mark as a team, with the 94-point total surpassing the 86-70 Warrior win over UMary on Nov. 27. 

As a team, Winona State shot 54.4% in the victory and hit 12-of-26 triples, tying their second-best effort of the season from behind the arc.  WSU was strong on the offensive glass, earning 10 second-chance points, compared to just two for St. Cloud State. With both teams playing their second game in 24 hours, the Warrior depth was a factor, with WSU reserves scoring 25 points on the day.  

Turnovers fed the WSU offense, as Winona State earned a season-high 11 steals in the game. The Warriors also blocked three shots, also the highest mark so far this season.

St. Cloud State (8-8, 4-5 NSIC) was paced by Matthew Willert with 24 points, including an impressive 6-of-9 effort from behind the arc. Willert was one of two top Husky rebounders with double-digit boards, along with teammate Anthony Roberts who also had 10.

Winona State improves to 10-5 overall and 6-4 in the NSIC.  The Warriors will hit the road on Friday, January 21 when they travel to Minnesota State Moorhead for a 7:30pm matchup with the Dragons.  The WSU road trip will continue with a showdown at Northern State University on Saturday, January 22. The Warriors and Wolves will tip off at 6pm in Aberdeen, S.D.

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.