SIOUX FALLS, S.D. –
Luke Martens led a furious comeback effort by the Winona State University men's basketball team against Augustana University on Sunday, Dec. 18, registering a career-high 31 points in an 82-79 double overtime Warrior win.
Martens made a crucial 3-pointer with 42 seconds to go in regulation - tying the game at 63-63 - and then went on to hit a step-back triple with just 1.2 seconds left in the second overtime to lead WSU to the impressive come-from-behind victory
Winona State was down by 18 points early in the second half but were able to carve away the Augustana advantage throughout the late stages of the game. Martens' magic moments were a major part of an impressive display of resilience by head coach
Todd Eisner's team.
Both squads were slow to start in the game, with the Warriors and Vikings clunking their way to a combined 15-of-56 shooting effort from the floor in the first half. WSU and AU were tied at 10-10 and then 13-13 for long stretches of the first half, with the Vikings eventually taking 25-18 lead into the locker room at the Sanford Pentagon.
But, while the first half lacked scoring efficiency, the remainder of the night will be etched in the collective Warrior memory for years to come.
Martens was almost unstoppable after the break, scoring a layup five minutes into the second half that were two of his 27 points that came post-halftime. Martins was active in the lane, driving to draw fouls that allowed him to attempt a team-high nine free throws, making seven. The Apple Valley, Minn. senior was 10-of-18 from the floor overall and hauled in 12 rebounds in the game for the double-double. Martens was 4-of-7 from behind the arc and two of the four were some of the most important makes of the WSU season so far, with the game-tying shot coming in with 42 seconds left in regulation and the game-winner with just 1.2 seconds to go in the second OT.
James Kelley also turned in a career-best effort for WSU, hauling in 15 rebounds in the game. Kelley corralled three key boards in the closing stages of the second overtime period and had 12 points, coming off the bench for his first-ever double-double at Winona State.
Martens' 31 points is the best Warrior scoring effort this season and Kelley's 15 rebounds is also a team high mark in the 2022-23 campaign. Martens becomes just the ninth player in the NSIC to score 31 or more points this season. Kelley's rebounding mark is the second-highest single game total in the league so far this year.
Connor Dillon scored 14 points and handed out five assists and
Owen King added four helpers to the WSU stat line.
Declan Dillon scored a pair of key free throws in the second overtime, part of his five-point evening, and
Connor Drew also reached double-digits with 10 points.
Overall, Winona State was 29-of-67 (43.3%) from the floor and 8-of-28 (28.6%) on 3-point attempts in the game. WSU hit 16-of-23 (69.9%) free throws, with
Declan Dillon (3-of-3),
Connor Drew (4-of-5) and Martens (7-of-9) all contributing significantly from the charity stripe in the nail biter.
Augustana falls to 7-6 overall on the year and are 3-4 in the NSIC. Ryan Miller led the Vikings with 23 points and Akoi Akoi added 19.
With the victory, Winona State rises to 6-5 overall and 2-5 in the NSIC. The Warriors will be off until Saturday, Dec. 31 when they head to Fayette, Iowa for a New Year's Eve showdown with Upper Iowa University. UIU and WSU are set to start at 4 pm.
