MANKATO, Minn. - The Winona State University men's basketball team is on the road for their final regular-season game of 2021-22 as they play at Minnesota State today, Feb. 19 with a start time of 3:30 p.m.
The Mavericks lost to Upper Iowa on Thursday, 68-63, while Winona State defeated Concordia - St. Paul 89-67, securing head coach
Todd Eisner's 100th win with the Warriors in the process.
Within the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) postseason picture, the Warriors are currently third in the NSIC South and are on pace to compete in the NSIC Tournament which begins next week. Minnesota State sits sixth in the NSIC South heading into today's game.
Read on for more regarding the Winona State - Minnesota State match-up, which will tip-off at 3:30 p.m. in the Taylor Center.
Who: Winona State vs. Minnesota State
What: The Warriors (15-9, 11-8 NSIC) will travel to the Mavericks (15-9, 8-9 NSIC)
When: Saturday, February 19 with a 3:30pm tip-off.
Where: Taylor Center on the campus of Minnesota State, Mankato.
Winona State - MSU Notables
Heading into the Warrior weekend:
Region rankings... Winona State is ranked 10th in the first NCAA Division II Central Region rankings.
It's the final countdown ... The Warriors closed out the regular season home slate with a victory over CSP on Thursday, Feb. 17 by a score of 89-67. The regular season concludes with an away game at Minnesota State on Saturday, Feb. 19. WSU is 8-2 at home and 7-7 in games away from McCown.
Nice to see you again ... Winona State defeated CSP on Dec. 2 when Devin Whitelow converted an and-one with four seconds remaining to propel the Warriors to victory. WSU has defeated the Golden Bears five straight times, dating back to the 2018-19 season.
Warriors - Mavericks round two ... The Warriors hosted an undefeated and ranked MSU team on Dec. 4 and won 73-59. Whitelow led the way with 18 points and Luke Martens poured in a double-double to help Winona State earn the victory.
Postseason probabilities... Winona State is currently third in the NSIC South and they have clinched a berth in the NSIC Tournament. The first round games will be played on Wednesday, Feb. 23 on campus sites (top two seeds in each division receive first round byes), and WSU is in the hunt to host the opening round.
Milestone markers reached... On Thursday, Devin Whitelow joined the Winona State 1,000-point club and head coach Todd Eisner captured his 100th victory as the Warriors head coach.
Winona State notables:
Winona State holds a 15-9 overall record and a 11-8 conference record. Heading into the today's game, WSU is third in the NSIC South.
Last weekend, WSU split home contests with a buzzer-beater win over Sioux Falls and an eight-point defeat to SMSU.
The Warriors are fourth in the NSIC in defense, allowing just 70.1 points per outing. On offense, the Warriors have scored 72.7 points/game for a 2.6 scoring margin.
Winona State averages the second-most 3-pointers made each game in the NSIC, knocking down 8.9 shots from deep per contest.
Alec Rosner is seventh in the NSIC in scoring, averaging 18.1 points/game to lead the Warriors. Rosner also holds the second and fourth highest single-game scoring outputs in the NSIC, as he scored 36 points against UMary and 34 points against St. Cloud State.
Devin Whitelow averages 10.1 points/game and is top-10 within the NSIC for assists (4.3/game), assist/turnover ratio (2.3), and steals (1.4/game).
Luke Martens scores 10.6 points per game and leads WSU with 7.4 rebounds/game, good for fifth in the conference.
Winona State will look to close out the season with two home wins and position themselves for a home playoff game to open the NSIC Tournament.
Minnesota State notables:
The Mavericks are 15-9 overall and 8-9 within the NSIC. Last weekend, they split games against Wayne State (81-76) and #9 Augustana (74-85) at home.
Minnesota State is sixth in scoring within the NSIC, averaging 78.3 points each game. On the defensive side of the ball, they give up 74.6 points/game for a 3.7 scoring margin.
MSU leads the NSIC in blocked shots, averaging five each game. Kelby Kramer leads the Mavericks and the whole conference with 2.2 blocks per game.
Minnesota State shoots the ball from the field at the third-highest rate in the conference at 47.9%.
The Mavericks are led in scoring by Quincy Anderson who is averaging 17.3 points/game.
Three others score at least 10 points per game: Brady Williams (12.4), Devonte Thedford (11.1), and Malik Willingham (10.2).
Kramer grabs a team-high seven rebounds each game and shoots 80.3% from the field for 6.3 points/game.
Minnesota State is currently sixth in the NSIC South standings, and just need one win or a Sioux Falls loss to clinch a playoff berth.
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.
