WINONA, Minn. - The Winona State University men's basketball team steps out of conference play for a pair of games on either side of the Christmas holiday, as the Warriors look to stay sharp for the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) schedule that will resume in January. 

Winona State (7-3, 4-3 NSIC) will travel to Houghton, Michigan this week for a non-conference contest at Michigan Tech University.  The Warriors and Huskies will tip off at 1pm EST - noon Central Time - on Tuesday, Dec. 19 in the SDC Gymnasium. 

After a short respite around the holiday weekend, Winona State will then host the University of Wisconsin Parkside on Sunday, December 31.  The Warriors and Rangers will tip off at 2 p.m. in McCown Gymnasium, home of WNB Financial Court. 

GAME & FAN INFORMATION

• Live stats & stream for the game are available at the links above and on the WSU Men's Basketball schedule page.  
• Tuesday's away contest on Dec. 19  will take place in the SDC Gymnasium on the campus of Michigan Tech. 
• The contest on Sunday, Dec. 31 will be in McCown Gymnasium, home of WNB Financial Court.

WINONA STATE STORYLINES 

• WSU is 7-3 on the year, 4-3 in NSIC play. 
• The Warriors were ranked No. 24 in last week's NABC Coaches' Poll, the first Top-25 poll appearance this year. 
• WSU was also ranked No. 7 in the region in the current D2CSC Central Region Poll.
• Connor Dillon was tabbed the WSU Player-to-Watch in the 2023-24 NSIC Coaches' Poll 
• Dillon set, and then re-set, his career-high mark with 33 points vs. USF on Dec. 2, and then scored 40 vs. Wayne State on Dec. 8.
• Connor Dillon heads into the final two games of 2023 with 975 career points. 
• With 975 points scored, Connor Dillon is closing in on the1,000 career point mark for Winona State. When Dillon delivers on that target, he will become just the 42nd Warrior to hit 1,000 points all-time.
• The most recent WSU player to hit 1,000 career points is current Winona State assistant coach Devin Whitelow, who played at Winona State between 2017-2022.
• Connor Dillon also leads the team in total assists with 30, just three more than his brother Declan Dillon who has 27.
• The WSU losses to Minnesota State and Minnesota Duluth last week marked the first back-to-back setbacks of the campaign for Winona State.
• Listed at 6'1" on the roster, WSU's Declan Dillon is the team's leading rebounder with 4.7 per game.
•  Carson Arenz has hit 13-of-14 free throw attempts on the season.
• Guard Tyler Borowski earned his first career start vs. UMD this past Saturday.
• Brock Voigt had his best scoring outing and best rebounding effort of the season against the Bulldogs this past weekend. The former NCAA DIII standout from UW-Eau Claire scored 13 points in Duluth and added six rebounds to the Warrior effort.
• Connor Drew is second on the team in total points scored this year with 129 overall. Drew and top-scorer Connor Dillon (223 points) are the only two Warriors who have hit triple-digits in scoring so far this year.
• Drew Adams has appeared in all 10 Winona State contests this season, all in sixth-man fashion, coming off the bench.
• In just eight minutes on the floor against Minnesota Duluth, Jordan Wilkins went 2-of-3 from behind the arc and picked up a steal against the Bulldogs
• Head coach Todd Eisner is embarking on his 9th season with the Warriors and 26th overall as a college head coach.  
• Heading into the season, Eisner's all-time coaching record stands at 531-263 including a 115-97 Winona State ledger. 

Michigan Tech STORYLINES

• Michigan Tech enters Tuesday's tilt with a 2-7 record and 1-1 GLIAC mark.
• MTU lost to Kentucky Wesleyan on Sunday, 69-53
• In playing Kentucky Wesleyan and Winona State, the Huskies are facing two teams that have both won NCAA Division II titles. 
• Marcus Tomashek leads MTU in scoring (24.9 ppg), minutes (32.3 min/g) and has hit 33-of-75 3-pointers on the year. 
• Pete Calcaterra is the top Huskie rebounder with a 7.1 r/pg average. 
• Head coach Josh Buettner has been the head coach at MTU since 2021. 

Wisconsin Parkside STORYLINES 

• The Rangers are 5-4 overall and 1-1 in the GLIAC. UWP will play Clarke (Iowa) and Lewis before facing WSU on Dec. 31. 
• UWP saw a recent three-game winning streak snapped by an OT loss to Ferris State, 77-73. 
• Josiah Palmer averages  15.6 ppg to lead the Rangers.
• Colin O'Rourke is the top UWP rebounder at 5.3 per game.
• O'Rourke and Palmer are the only two UW-Parkside players averaging double-digits in scoring. 
• Palmer also leads the team in assists with 47 on the year, while Rokas Castillo has 31. 
• Luke Reigel has been at UWP since 2003. 

Warrior Notables: 

• Winona State was the NCAA Division II National Champion in 2006 and 2008; WSU was runner-up in 2007.  
• The Warriors added two assistant coaches for the 2023-24 campaign; Devin Whitelow and Cole Rabedeaux are both in their 1st year on the Warrior sideline. 
• Whitelow was the 2020-21 NSIC Don Olson Award honoree as a senior point guard for Winona State.  
• Rabedeaux was a standout player at UW-Eau Claire and had an assistant coaching stint with NCAA Division I University of Houston. 

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.

Media Contact: Pete Watkins, Director of Athletic Communications | Ph: 507.457.5577 | Email: pwatkins@winona.edu