WINONA, Minn. - The Winona State University men's basketball team battled in a back-and-forth affair against the Concordia University, St. Paul Golden Bears, providing an entertaining NSIC opener for both teams on Tuesday, Nov. 21 in McCown Gymnasium, home of WNB Financial Court.
In the end, Winona State defeated Concordia St. Paul thanks in large part to a career-high scoring night for
Connor Drew, notching 27 points to help deal Golden Bears a 75-69 loss. The hard-fought victory allows WSU to move to 4-0 overall on the season and 1-0 in league play.
Key Details: Winona State 75, Concordia St. Paul 69
Attendance: 458
How it Happened
The visiting Concordia St. Paul squad started on a hot streak, jumping out to a 10-3 lead. However,
Connor Drew was dialed in early on and knocked down two of his first three 3-pointers, giving the Warrior faithful a sign of things to come.
CSP would continue to build a lead in the early stages of the opening 20 minutes, establishing leads of 18-12 and 24-16 before WSU would begin to mount a comeback. Substitute
Gavyn Hurley scored a layup with just under 11 minutes to go in the opening frame and then hauled in a key defensive rebound at the other end.
Declan Dillon followed Hurley's effort by connecting on a triple moments later, sparking a comeback for WSU as they battled back to within three points at 33-28.
The Warriors momentum would continue to climb when
Carson Arenz was fouled on a layup in the paint and then converted the subsequent free throw for a three point play, followed by a
Connor Dillon driving layup that gave the Warrior their first lead of the night at 36-35.
WSU would hold a narrow lead in the later stages of the first half until back-to-back 3-pointers gave CSP a one-point lead at the break, 46-45.
Halftime: Concordia, St. Paul 46, Winona State 45
Following the intermission, the second half picked up just like the first half ended, as the two teams traded buckets and lead for the opening eight minutes.
Following knotted scores of 52-52 and 55-55,
Connor Drew delivered again for Winona State, hitting a three-pointer to stake WSU a 60-58 lead. From that point forward, the Warriors would hold off the Golden Bears, gradually increasing their scoring margin to an eight-point advantage.
Forced to foul, CSP sent a series of Warriors to the foul line in the last 90 seconds, where Winona State would hit 5-of-7 from the line to close out the contest with a 75-69 win.
Final Score: Winona State 75, Concordia St. Paul 69
Team Stat Notables
Winona State was 14-of-20 from the free throw line; CSP was 5-of-8
CSP had a slight edge in rebounding 36-33, but WSU collected five steals on the night; CSP had three.
WSU forced 12 Golden Bear turnovers, while the Warriors had only 6 miscues on the night.
WSU Stat Leaders
Connor Drew, 27 points (career high), 9-of-15 from the floor, 6-of-8 from 3-point territory, 3-of-4 at the free throw line.
Connor Dillon, 21 points, 8-of-23 from the field, 5-of-7 from the charity stripe, team-high 6 assists
Declan Dillon, 13 points, team-high 2 steals
Carson Arenz, team-high 8 rebounds, 3-of-3 on free throws, 5 points overall
Beyond the Boxscore
Tuesday's tilt was the first time a Warrior other than
Connor Dillon led WSU in scoring in the contest.
The win over CSP was the second time this year Winona State has battled back after being behind at the break; two weeks ago, WSU trailed Southern Arkansas 31-29 at the half.
In beating the Golden Bears, WSU ran their winning streak over CSP to nine straight.
Up Next
Winona State (4-0, 1-0 NSIC) will host Southwest Minnesota State on Friday, Dec. 1 and the University of Sioux Falls on Saturday, Dec. 2. WSU and SMSU will tip off at 5:30pm on Friday and 3:30pm on Saturday; both games are in McCown Gymnasium, home of WNB Financial Court.
