WINONA, Minn.- The Winona State University men's basketball team used a solid two-pronged offensive attack against St. Cloud State on Saturday, January 27, defeating the Huskies 77-69 in front of nearly 1,400 fans.
Winona State (12-8, 7-7 NSIC) leaned on a pair of 1,000-point scorers to pace the Warrior effort and Todd Eisner's team used a resolute defensive effort, particularly in the first half, to defeat St. Cloud State (8-12, 4-10 NSIC). Brock Voigt, honored before the game for reaching the 1,000 career points scored plateau, and Connor Dillon combined for 55 points as WSU enjoyed a 10-point halftime lead and were able to maintain their distance from SCSU throughout second half for the win.
How it Happened:
St. Cloud State jumped out to an early 12-7 lead but a jumper from Olumide Adelodun helped Winona State slow the Huskies momentum. A Devon Fielding bucket at 11:34 followed by a Connor Dillon 3-pointer 30 seconds later.
The two teams would trade baskets in the middle part of the first half, until Connor Dillon scored a 3-pointer off an assist from Declan Dillon. The Dillon-to-Dillon delivery allowed Adelodun to then polish off a pair of short-range chances to give WSU a 10-point advantage. Declan Dillon scored with just over 20 seconds to play to keep the WSU 10-point cushion.
Heading into the locker room, Winona State led 36-26 and enjoyed a 14-of-28 (50.00%) first-half shooting effort.
At the Half: Winona State 36, St. Cloud State 26.
A 7-2 run early in the second half saw WSU move out in front by 15 points, with a 45-30 scoreline at 14:45 of the final frame.
St. Cloud State cut the Warrior lead down to seven points at the 9:51 mark of the second 20 minutes. However, Brock Voigt helped Winona State pull away with a layup at 7:34, followed by a Connor Dillon 3-pointer 60 seconds later. Both tallies pushed the Warrior lead to 59-44 following a Voigt dunk with just over six minutes to go.
Winona State closed out the game with successful free throws from Devon Fielding and Voigt for the Warrior win at 77-69.
WSU Stats Standouts:
Connor Dillon 23 points, 3 steals, 3 assists, 4-of-8 from 3-point distance
Brock Voigt 22 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, 7-of-10 from the floor
Connor Drew 11 points, 2 rebounds
Declan Dillon 8 points, 4 assists
Olumide Adelodun 10 points, 9 rebounds
Team Stats Comparables:
St. Cloud State was a perfect 16-of-16 from the free throw line in the game.
The WSU perimeter defense held SCSU to just 5-of-21 (23.8%) from beyond the arc.
SCSUs Nate Dahl was 8-of-8 from the free throw line while WSUs Brock Voigt was 8-of-10.
Beyond the Boxscore:
SCSU's head coach, Quincy Henderson, was inducted as an individual to the Winona State Hall of Fame this past fall.
Combined, WSU's Connor Dillon and Brock Voigt were 15-of-25 from the floor.
WSU moved to 15-8 over SCSU since March 7, 2009.
Up Next:
Winona State (12-8, 7-7 NSIC) will travel to Concordia University, St. Paul, on Tuesday, January 30, for a Tuesday night contest against the Golden Bears. WSU and CSP will tip off at 7:30 pm in the Ganglehoff Center in St. Paul.
