SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The Winona State University men's basketball team returns to the court and the highway on Friday, Feb. 4, as they travel to Sioux Falls, S.D. to take on #11 Augustana University. The game against the Vikings is one of two NSIC contests set for the weekend; Winona State will travel on to Wayne State College on Saturday, Feb. 5 to battle the Wildcats.
Led by NSIC South Player of the Week
Alec Rosner, the Warriors (13-6, 9-5 NSIC) have won their last three games while #11 Augustana (17-2, 11-2 NSIC) has won seven in row, including their most recent victory, a 78-59 win at Minnesota - Crookston.
Rosner's remarkable run last week saw him appear on the NSIC Spotlight on Wednesday, Feb. 2 with NSIC Assistant Commissioner, Nick Kornder. Check out his interview
at this link.
Read on for more regarding Friday's showdown which will tip-off at 7:30pm in the Sanford Pentagon.
Who: Winona State University vs #11 Augustana University
What: The Warriors (13-6, 9-5 NSIC) will face the #11 Vikings (17-2, 11-2 NSIC)
When: Friday, February 4 with a 7:30 pm CST start.
Where: The Sanford Pentagon, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Winona State - Augustana MBB Notables:
Heading into the Warrior weekend:
Three in a row... The Warriors come into the weekend as winners of their last three games, including a weekend sweep at home over UMary and Minot State last week. WSU has scored 80 or more points in each of those games and has won by an average of 11 points each game.
Defensive dynasties... Augustana (63.8 ppg), Wayne State (68.3 ppg), and Winona State (69.4) have the three best defenses in the NSIC. The three teams are the only squads in the league to hold their opponents to less than 70 points/game on average.
Streak busters ... The Warriors have lost six consecutive games to Wayne State. Last year, WSU hosted WSC on back-to-back days and fell both times by single digits. The last time Winona State beat the Wildcats was on Feb. 17, 2019 in an 89-71 win at home.
Offensive opportunities... Winona State has found a rhythm offensively, scoring 80 or more points in four of their last five games. During these games, the Warriors have shot 44.4% (48-108) from deep and 53.8% from the field. Rosner has led WSU, averaging 29 points per game in the four contests.
NSIC South Player of the Week... Alec Rosner earned NSIC South Player of the Week honors this past week after averaging 28.5 points per game on 18-32 (56.3%) shooting and 7-12 (58.3%) from deep to lead the Warriors in two wins over NSIC North opponents.
Milestone Marker Ahead...Devin Whitelow currently sits at 962 career points, just 38 shy of the 1,000 point club.
What's up with Winona State:
Winona State holds a 13-6 overall record and a 9-5 conference record. Their current three-game win streak has put them in third within the NSIC South and fourth in the overall standings.
Last weekend, WSU picked up two wins at home over UMary and Minot State. Alec Rosner paced the Warriors with a 36-point effort against UMary and followed it up with 21 points versus Minot State. Rosner earned NSIC South Player of the Week for his efforts.
The Warriors are just one of three teams in the NSIC to hold their opponents to under 70 points/game, as WSU allows just 69.4 points per game. On offense, the Warriors have scored 74.3 points/game for a 4.9 scoring margin.
Winona State averages the second-most 3-pointers made each game in the NSIC, knocking down 9.2 shots from deep on average.
Rosner is sixth in the NSIC in scoring, averaging 18.5 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 10.7 points/game and is top-10 within the NSIC for assists (4.2/game), assist/turnover ratio (2.2), and steals (1.5/game).
Luke Martens scores 10.4 points per game and leads WSU with 7.7 rebounds/game, good for fifth in the conference.
Winona State will look to extend their winning streak with two key road games against Augustana and Wayne State this weekend.
More Vikings vitals:
The Vikings are 17-2 overall and 11-2 in the NSIC. They currently sit first in the NSIC South and are just one win out of the top spot in the NSIC overall standings.
Augustana has been climbing the national rankings in January, winning seven straight games and now being ranked #11 in NCAA Division II men's basketball.
AU has held opponents to a league-best 63.8 points a game, while scoring 77.6 points/game on the offensive end. Their scoring margin of 13.8 is second best in the NSIC.
The Vikings stingy defense holds opponents to 0.423 shooting from the field and 0.313 from beyond the arc, both marks are top two in the conference.
Tyler Riemersma has been key for Augustana all season, averaging a double-double with 17.8 points/game and a league-best 10.3 rebounds each game.
Isaac Fink (15.6 ppg), Adam Dykman (13.0 ppg), and Dylan LeBrun (10.6 ppg) all average double-digit scoring as well for Augustana.
Jameson Bryan leads the NSIC with a 4.1 assist/turnover ratio, and is third with 4.5 assists per game.
Augustana hosts Winona State on Friday, Feb. 4 at 7:30pm and then will serve host to Upper Iowa Saturday evening.
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
