WINONA, Minn. - Last winter, the Winona State University men's basketball team was the first program to upend then-undefeated Minnesota State, Mankato when the Mavericks visited McCown Gymnasium in early December. On Thursday, Winona State was faced with the same challenge, as #16 Minnesota State brought a 7-0 record into their match up with the Warriors.
Thanks in part to a strong start, WSU nearly replicated their upset from last season, but ultimately fell to Minnesota State, 74-71.
Buoyed by raucous student-section support and a dialed-in shooting touch, Winona State raced out to a 18-5 lead in the opening ten minutes of the game. Early on,
Connor Dillon and
Luke Martens had the hot hands for WSU, combining to score 15 points in 12 minutes, including a Marten's dunk that ignited the crowd. Although the Mavericks eventually slowed the Warrior surge as the first half wore on, but Winona State took a 35-30 advantage into the locker room at half time.
After the break, Minnesota State opened with an 11-2 run to start the second half and eventually claimed their first lead of the contest at 38-37 just three minutes into the period. Winona State responded through
Connor Dillon, scoring from both behind the arc and at the foul line, while Martens added a pair of jumpers in transition, with both players scoring key buckets in the middle half of the second stanza.
As the second half counted down, WSU was able to pull with one point of the Mavericks at 69-68 with just over a minute to play. MSU responded with a put-back layup off a long-range miss. Forced to foul, WSU sent the Mavericks to free throw line with 20 seconds to go. Minnesota State's Malik Willingham missed the back half of a pair of free throws, leaving the Warriors an opportunity for
Connor Dillon to connect on a 3-pointer with seven seconds left, pulling WSU back to within one at 72-71.
WSU fouled on the ensuing inbounds play, but this time the Mavericks' Harrison Braudis hit both free throws, extending MSU's lead to 74-71. Winona State had a final long-distance look from Dillon at the buzzer, but the shot just missed off the back of the rim, allowing Minnesota State to escape with the narrow victory.
Connor Dillon led Winona State in scoring with 21 points, while
Luke Martens was second on the Warrior score sheet with 19.
Declan Dillon racked up 12 points and nine rebounds, tying Martin for the most Warrior boards on the night.
Owen King blocked two shots and had a pair of steals in the game.
Minnesota State was led in scoring by Trevor Moore with 23 points. Brady Williams earned a double-double for the visitors with 11 rebounds and 13 points.
As a team, WSU was 27-of-67 shooting from the floor, a 40.3% mark. Winona State connected on 9-of-16 free throws in the game and were 8-of-24 (33.3%) collectively from 3-point territory.
With the loss, Winona State slides to 5-2 on the season and is 0-2 in NSIC play. The Warriors will play their first NSIC road contest on Saturday, Dec. 2 when they travel to Concordia University, St. Paul. The Golden Bears and Warriors will tip off at 3 p.m. in the CSP Gangelhoff Center.
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.
