WINONA, Minn. - The Winona State University men's basketball team will host St. Cloud State University on Saturday, January 15 as the Warriors look to salvage a split in their NSIC weekend against North Division opponents.
Winona State (9-5, 5-4 NSIC) will take on SCSU (8-7, 4-4 NSIC) as both teams work to rebound from losses on Friday night. Winona State fell to #5 Minnesota Duluth 86-71 at home, while St. Cloud State lost to Upper Iowa in Fayette, 108-95.
Read on for more regarding the Winona State men's basketball team as they host St. Cloud State on Saturday, January 15.
Who: Winona State University vs St. Cloud State
What: The Warriors (9-5, 5-4 NSIC) will face the Huskies (8-7, 4-4 NSIC)
When: Saturday, January 15 with a.3:30pm CST start.
Where: McCown Gymnasium, home of WNB Financial Court, on the campus of Winona State University.
Winona State - St. Cloud State MBB Notables:
Winona State Warriors:
Heading into the weekend, 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.
Prior to Friday's loss to UMD, the Warriors were 3-0 at home this season with two victories over ranked opponents. WSU defeated #17 Minnesota State and #13 Upper Iowa earlier this season.
Luke Martens led WSU vs. UMD last evening, scoring 11 points. Alec Rosner was the only other Warrior in double-digits with 10 points in the contest; Rosner and Drew Adams each had four rebounds in the game.
As NSIC play commenced on Friday, 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.
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.
Luke Martens has garnered four double-doubles this season and averages 10.2 points/game and 8.2 rebounds/game.
After hosting the Huskies, WSU will next face MSU-Moorhead and Northern State next Friday and Saturday, Jan. 21-22.
The scoop on St. Cloud State:
St. Cloud State has the top-three individuals in the NSIC for minutes played per game. Expect to see Anthony Roberts (37.2), Caleb Donaldson (37.1), and Ryan Bagley (35.3) on the court for the majority of the game for the Huskies.
The Huskies are 8-7 overall and 4-4 in the NSIC. Their loss to UIU dropped them into a tie in the NSIC North with Minot State.
In scoring 95 points in their loss to Upper Iowa, SCSU eclipsed the 90-point mark for the third time this season.
SCSU is heading into the weekend playing some of their best ball on the year, winning four of the last five games by an average of 9.25 points.
St. Cloud State features the fourth-best scoring offense in the conference averaging 82 points/game, but allow 79.9 points/game to their opponents.
Anthony Roberts leads the Huskies and is second in the NSIC in scoring, averaging 20.2 points/game. Roberts also leads SCSU in rebounding and is fourth in the conference with 8.6 rebounds/game.
Caleb Donaldson averages 16.4 pints/game and is shooting 65.4% from the field this season , which is second in the conference.
Ryan Bagley paces SCSU in assists (3.9/game) and steals (2.1/game), while scoring 11.6 points/game.
Matthew Willert (11.6) and Josh Tomasi (10.9) round out the starting five for the Huskies; all five average double-digit scoring.
Donaldson, Roberts, and Bagley are first, second, and third in the NSIC for minutes played per game. Each individual averages over 35 minutes/game.
St. Cloud State will take on Wayne State and Augustana University on the road next weekend as NSIC Divisional crossover play continues.
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
