WINONA, Minn. – The Winona State University men's basketball team battled with Bemidji State on Saturday, Jan. 7 in a contest that saw 11 lead changes throughout the night. In the end, the Beavers did just enough to hold off the Warriors, dealing WSU a 65-61 setback in McCown Gymnasium, home of WNB Financial Court.
Winona State held a narrow two-point advantage at the break, 29-27 and were led by
Connor Dillon in the first half with 15 points in the opening 20 minutes.
A back-and-forth second half saw the two teams separated by no more than five points in the final 10 minutes, after Winona State had chipped away at what was a seven-point lead for Bemidji State in the early stages of the second 20 minutes.
A
Declan Dillon three pointer pulled WSU to within two points at 63-61 with just over three minutes to play. Winona State had a pair of good looks from long-range as the game was winding down but were unable to connect. A late WSU foul on BSU's Mohamed Kone saw the Beavers' leading scorer convert on both free throws for the final 65-61 scoreline.
Foul shooting hampered the Warriors, both in frequency and accuracy, as WSU earned just five trips to the free throw line, connecting only once. In contrast, the visiting Beavers were provided with 12 trips to the charity stripe, knocking down eight.
WSU was also cold from long-range, going 4-of-21 (19.0%) from behind the 3-point line. BSU held a one-rebound advantage over the Warriors at 33-32, perhaps none more important than a loose ball battle off a three-point Warrior miss with 20 seconds to go.
Positives for Winona State on the night included a strong performance from the Warrior bench, with the WSU substitutes outscoring their Beaver counterparts, 15-4. WSU was opportunistic on defense, latching on to eight steals and blocking a pair of BSU shots.
Bemidji State was 25-of-55 (45.5%) on the night. The Beavers saw Mohamed Kone lead the way with 21 points, while John Sutherland added 18. BSU moves to 10-6 overall, 5-5 in NSIC play.
As a team, Winona State shot 28-of-66 (42.4%) from the floor overall.
Connor Dillon led WSU with 19 points, while
Declan Dillon had 13 points and six rebounds.
Connor Drew was the top Warrior rebounder with eight boards.
With the loss, WSU moves to 9-6 on the year and 4-6 in the NSIC. Winona State will return to the road next weekend, taking on St. Cloud State on Friday, Jan. 13 and the University of Minnesota Duluth on Saturday, Jan. 14.
