KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Winona State University men's basketball team closed out the Central Region Challenge with another win, this time over Missouri Southern State University by a score of 73-68.
In a game with 11 lead changes and nine ties, Winona State held the upper hand as time expired highlighted by a 7-0 run in the final minute to seal the victory.
With just over a minute left, WSU held a one-point advantage before a jumper from
Luke Martens and five Warrior free throws gave Winona State an eight-point lead with seven seconds to go. An MSSU three pointer in the final seconds brought the game to a final score of 73-68, and the Warriors earned their second win over a region opponent in the season's opening weekend.
The opening half featured several scoring runs by both teams, but Winona State seemed to be in control after
Connor Drew knocked down a three-point shot to give WSU a seven-point lead with four minutes to go in the half. The Lions had other plans, as they ended the half on a 14-3 run to take a six-point advantage into the break at 40-34.
Right out of the second media timeout in the second frame, Martens cashed in a three pointer to give the Warriors their first lead in the half. After both teams traded leads, the ballgame was tied at 63-63 with 2:35 to go in the game.
From there on, it was all Winona State as they held Missouri Southern State to just one more field goal and closed out the victory by going 5-of-6 from the charity stripe in the final 30 seconds.
Connor Dillon once again provided strong offense for WSU, scoring 20 points on 7-15 shooting, including 4-7 from deep in a game-high 37 minutes of action.
Connor Drew also added 20 points on 5-8 shooting while corralling seven boards.
Martens, who made clutch buckets for
Todd Eisner's Warriors, totaled 16 points, nine rebounds, and went a perfect 6-6 from the free-throw line.
Owen King had a team-high four assists, while
Declan Dillon garnered two of WSU's six steals.
Winona State won the turnover battle for the second night in a row, forcing 15 MSSU turnovers and committing 12 themselves. The Warriors were able to connect on 11-of-25 (44%) shooting from beyond the arc and made an impressive 20 of 24 free throws, which sealed the deal down the stretch.
The Warriors move to 2-0 on the season with two wins over region opponents and will next be in action at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Haribo Invitational on November 18-19.
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.
