WINONA, Minn. -  The Winona State University men's basketball team returns to the road for the longest road trip Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) competition, traveling to the University of Mary on Friday, January 19, and to Minot State University on Saturday, January 20.  The two North Dakota contests mark the shift in game times in NSIC play, with the WSU men's team playing at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. 

Winona State (9-7, 4-6 NSIC) face UMary on Friday and Minot State on Saturday while looking to reset the Warrior path to the postseason, having suffered a pair of losses in the most recent WSU road trip to Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State.  The games against the Marauders (6-10, 1-9 NSIC) and Beavers (13-2, 8-2 NSIC) will feature opponents at opposite ends of the NSIC standings for head coach Todd Eisner and his team. UMary enters the weekend on a four game losing streak, while Minot State is ranked No. 21 in the NCAA Division II ranks, according to the most recent NABC Top 25 poll. 

Leading the way for Winona State will be Connor Dillon, who was named to the Small College Basketball Bevo Francis Top-100 watchlist.  Dillon recently surpassed the 1,000-point plateau at WSU and is joined by teammate Olumide Adelodun in earning NSIC Shining Five honors earlier this season. 

GAME & FAN INFORMATION

• Live stats & stream for the game are available at the links above and on the WSU Men's Basketball schedule page.

WINONA STATE STORYLINES 

• WSU is 9-7 on the year, 4-6 in NSIC play. 
•  Connor Dillon has been named to the 2023-24 Bevo Francis Small College Basketball Top 100 Watch List.
• Connor Dillon is currently No. 32 on the WSU all-time scoring chart with 1,087 points, 
• Olumide Adelodun scored a career-high 25 points and a team-leading 11 rebounds for the Warriors against Northern State on. Adelodun was named to the NSIC Shining Five for his efforts.
• Last weekend, WSU fell 77-69 at Minnesota Crookston and lost to Bemidji State 93-58. 
• WSU was 14-of-14 at the foul line as a team against Northern State on Saturday. Winona State last was perfect at the charity stripe (with double-digit attempts) when the team went 16-of-16 at the line at Wayne State College on Feb. 5, 2022.
• The Warriors were also 13-of-13 on free throws in a 73-70 loss to Clarke (Iowa) on Nov. 13, 2019.
• As a team, Winona State has scored 1,126 points on the year, while conceding 1,125.
• No Warrior player was tagged for more than two fouls against UW-Parkside, one of their most disciplined performances of the year.
• WSU men's basketball has now hit a 3-pointer in 703 straight games, dating back to Nov. 29, 2000.
• The 3-point streak nearly ended on Jan. 7, 2023, when WSU went 1-for-23 from behind the arc vs. Minnesota Crookston at home in McCown.
• The national record for team consecutive 3-pointers is UNLV, a program that has hit a 3-pointer in 1,204 consecutive games. The Running Rebels and Princeton (1030 games) are the only NCAA Division I teams to hit a 3 in every game since the 3-point line was introduced in the 1986-87 season, per HBC Sports Justin Barrientos.
• Carter Lomas led all scorers vs Crown College with 17, a career-high for the senior guard.
• Brock Voigt currently has a career rebound mark of 523 and a career scoring mark of 961. The former NCAA DIII standout from UW-Eau Claire also had 108 career blocked shots.
• Connor Drew is second on the team in total points scored this year with 189 overall. 
• Carter Lomas has appeared in all 16 Winona State contests this year, making five starts. 
• Declan Dillon has 80 rebounds this season, leading the team. Carson Arenz has 76, good for second on the squad. 
• Heading into the season, Eisner's all-time coaching record stands at 531-263, including a 115-97 Winona State ledger. 

UMary STORYLINES 

• The Marauders enter the weekend at 6-10 overall and 1-9 in the NSIC.
• Winona State holds a 15-3 record vs. UMary dating back to January 3, 2010.
• UMary currently holds a two-game win streak that began Febuary 23, 2022.
• UMary is on a four-game losing streak.
• The Marauders lost 73-53 to Wayne State College in their most recent action. 
• As a team, UMary is shooting 42.0% from the floor and 62.3% at the line. 
• UMary hits 29.8% of their three point attempts.
• Gerald Gittens is averaging 13.6 points per game for the Marauders.
• Jack Nelson has been at UMary since April, 2021. 

Minot State STORYLINES

• The Beavers enter the weekend 13-3 overall and 8-2 in the NSIC.
• Winona State holds a three-game winning streak over MSU, including a 67-58 win last year. 
• Minot State is ranked No. 21 in the most recent NABC DII poll.
• The Beavers will have played nationally-ranked Minnesota State on Friday before facing WSU.
• The Beavers have won five in row, including a 85-69 win over then-No. 24 Minnesota Duluth.
• As a team, MSU is shooting 48.2% from the floor and 76.2% at the line, entering the weekend. 
• MSU hits 38.4% of their three-point attempts.
• Khari Broadway is averaging 15.2 points per game for Minot State.
• Matt Murken has been at Minot State since 2012.

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 first 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