WAYNE, Neb. - The Winona State University men's basketball team opened up the road portion of the Warrior 2023-24 schedule at Wayne State College, taking on the Wildcats in Rice Auditorium on Friday, December 8.
Connor Dillon delivered a career-high 40 points, igniting a comeback effort that saw Winona State earn a 90-83 win in overtime, notching the first WSU victory in Rice Auditorium since 2016.
Key Details: Winona State 90, Wayne State 83
Attendance: 355
How It Happened
Wayne State took an early lead off the opening tip but the Warriors stayed within striking distance throughout the opening five minutes. Helping WSU keep pace with the Wildcats was
Connor Dillon,
Connor Drew and
Declan Dillon, as the trio combined to the score the first 13 points of the night for head coach
Todd Eisner.
The two teams traded buckets for much of the early stages of the game and Wayne State held a slight edge with a 17-14 scoreline at the opening media time out on the floor. Although WSC led the entire way, the Warriors were able to keep the margin within one possession in the opening part of the first stanza.
In the middle portion of the first half, Wayne State threatened to pull away and briefly establish a double-digit lead for the first time when the Wildcats' Elijah Watson scored on a dunk at the 8:46 mark. However, a spirited WSU defensive effort kept the score in check for the visitors. The first half featured a highly contested 20 minutes, with both teams seeing a player assessed a technical foul following scoring plays.
Connor Dillon's 12 points led the Warriors in scoring over the opening frame, with Declan Dillon delivering 11. Combined the Dillon brothers were 10-of-15 from the floor.
WSC shot a scorching 56.25% in the first half and was a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity strike staking a 44-36 lead at the break.
At The Half: Wayne State 44, Winona State 36
The Wildcats were able to maintain a fluctuating lead throughout the early stages of the second half, at one point owning an 11-point advantage at 57-46 with 13:33 to play.
Foul trouble initially hampered the Warrior comeback effort in the second half, including Devon Fielding who picked up his fourth personal foul midway through the second half.
However, Connor Dillon dialed up a memorable second-half performance as the contest wore on, eventually going on two different three pointer streaks to finish regulation with 34 points in the first 40 minutes, eclipsing his 33 point effort against Sioux Falls last Saturday.
As time wore down in regulation, Connor Dillon drained a 3-pointer to give WSU a narrow 75-74 lead with under three minutes to play.
After WSC answered with a basket, a Brock Voigt rebound fed Dillon who drove directly at the Wildcat lane with 15 seconds to play. Dillon drew a foul and his first free-throw tied the contest at 76-76 but his second effort from the foul line rimmed out, sending the game to overtime.
In the extra stanza, Dillon continued his amazing run, completing a three-point play on a driving layup 40 seconds into the OT session. Tyler Borowski connected on a three pointer moments later - his first of the season - staking WSU to a 82-79 lead.
Borowski would go on to connect on three more free throws and Dillon scored his 40th point on a 3-pointer with 49 seconds to go, giving Winona State the lead late en route to a 90-83 OT win in Rice Auditorium.
Warrior Stat Standouts
Connor Dillon 40 points (career-high), 14-of-21 (66.7%) from the floor, 9-of-14 on 3-pointers.
Declan Dillon 13 points, 6-of-9 (66.6%) from the floor, 5 rebounds.
Connor Drew 13 points, 11-of-12 from the free throw line, 7 rebounds, 4 assists
Brock Voigt 8 points, 6 rebounds, 2-of-2 from the floor
Team Stat Comparables
Winona State and Wayne State both were flagged with two technical fouls in the game.
The two teams tied in rebounding, 33-33, and even in steals 8-8.
WSU hit 14-of-31 three-pointers, while the Wildcats were 5-of-22 from behind the arc.
Wayne State had nine players score 3 points or more in the game; WSU saw six Warriors crack the scoring column.
Beyond The Boxscore
Wayne State led the contest from start to midway through the second half.
Wayne State was 20-for-24 from the foul line as a team; WSU's Connor Drew was 11-of-12 from the stripe, individually.
Winona State last won in Rice Auditorium on Feb. 19, 2016, a 75-62 Warrior win.
Up Next
Winona State (6-1, 3-1 NSIC) will take on Augustana University tomorrow, Saturday, Dec. 9. The Warriors and the Vikings will see tip off at 3:30 p.m. in the Sanford Pentagon.
