WINONA, Minn. - The Winona State University men's basketball team hosted the University of Wisconsin Parkside in their final contest of the calendar year, with the Warriors and Rangers squaring off on a New Year's Eve afternoon game in McCown Gymnasium, home of WNB Financial Court on Sunday, Dec. 31.
A strong presence on the boards and a suffocating second-half defensive effort helped Winona State wrap up 2023 with a Warrior win. For the ninth time this season,
Connor Dillon led his team in scoring, notching 23 against Wisconsin-Parkside. Dillon surpassed the 1,000 point mark against Michigan Tech earlier this month and moved up to 34th all-time on the Warrior scoring chart this afternoon, with his 23 points pushing him to 1,031 in his career. Winona State out-rebounded the Rangers 45-21 in the contest and limited Wisconsin-Parkside to just three points in the first 10 minutes of the second half.
Key Details:
Final Score: Winona State 59, Wisconsin-Parkside 45
Attendance: 541
How It Happened
Connor Dillon opened up the scoring in the opening minute, followed by an and-one play from
Carson Arenz who was fouled on a driving layup of own and subsequently converted the free throw for a 5-0 Warrior start.
The Winona State advantage would grow to as much as 11 points by the 14 minute mark of the opening half, with WSU leading 13-2 following a
Declan Dillon three-pointer, his first shot of the game.
Wisconsin-Parkside would trim the Warrior lead to three points at 32-29 when Sanmi Fajana scored in the paint, but a well-worked final possession saw
Connor Dillon score on an off-balance drive with just four seconds left to give WSU a 34-29 margin at the break.
Overall for the half, WSU went 14-of-29 from the field, including a 4-for-9 mark from behind the arc.
At The Half: Winona State 34, Wisconsin Parkside 29
Second-half defensive tenacity by Winona State dictated the pace after the break, with WSU holding UW-Parkside to just three points in the first 10 minutes of the second stanza.
Devon Fielding connected on a three-pointer at the 18:16 mark of the second half, followed quickly by
Declan Dillon triple one minute later.
Buckets by
Olumide Adelodun and
Brock Voigt saw the Winona State lead grow to 20 points with 8:33 left to play as WSU pulled away from UW-Parkside.
Winona State wrapped up the rout of the Rangers by holding the visitors to just three makes in the final five minutes of the contest, claiming a 59-45 victory in the process.
WSU Stat Standouts
Connor Dillon 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting, 2-of-4 from 3-point distance, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
Declan Dillon, 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting, 9 rebounds
Carson Arenz 8 rebounds, 2-of-3 from the foul line
Team Stats Comparables
Winona State held Wisconsin-Parkside to just 16 second-half points, outscoring the Rangers 25-16.
The Warriors held UW-Parkside to just 6-of-27 (22.2%) shooting from behind the arc, including a 2-of-15 mark in the second half.
No Warrior player was tagged for more than two fouls in the game and nine players hauled in three or more rebounds for WSU.
Beyond the Box Score
Connor Dillon continues to climb the WSU all-time scoring ranks, moving past a pair of former Warriors including current WSU assistant coach Devin Whitelow, who finished his career with 1,026 career points.
Declan Dillon was just one rebound away from a double-double versus the Rangers, scoring 11 points and grabbing nine rebounds. He also led the team in assists with four.
Olumide Adelodun made his first appearance of the season for Winona State, scoring four points and grabbing three rebounds in 12 minutes of action off the bench.
Up Next
Winona State (8-4, 4-3 NSIC) will host Crown College on Tuesday, January 2. The Warriors and Polars will tip off at 7 p.m. in McCown Gymnasium, home of WNB Financial Court.
