WINONA, Minn. - The Winona State University men's basketball team outlasted Wayne State College to claim an important NSIC victory on Saturday, with the Warriors taming the Wildcats, 73-65 in McCown Gymnasium, home of WNB Financial Court.
Winona State (15-8, 10-7 NSIC) saw another balanced scoring evening, with Connor Dillon (18), Olumide Adelodun (16), Connor Drew (11), and Devon Fielding (10) each hitting double-digits in the game. The win over the Wildcats, combined with a victory against the Augustana Vikings on Friday, gives WSU the NSIC weekend sweep.
Winona State had an 11 point lead with two minutes to play but Wayne State made it interesting late, closing to within four points with 30 seconds left. Four consecutive Adelodun free throws in the waning moments preserved the Warrior win.
How It Happened
Winona State raced out to a 22-15 lead midway through the first half, as
Connor Drew and
Connor Dillon combined for a handful of three-pointers to jump start the Warrior offense.
Wayne State cut into the WSU lead and pulled to within eight points at 28-20, thanks in part to a pair of free throws by JJ Ferrin. However, Winona State quickly regained control of the half when
Devon Fielding scored five points in the space of 30 seconds, followed quickly by a
Connor Dillon three-pointer to move WSU comfortably back in front by 17 points at 39-22.
As the Warrior faithful began heading to the concession stand at intermission, Winona State's
Jordan Wilkins hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer as the halftime horn sounded, giving WSU a 42-26 lead at the break.
At the Half: Winona State 42, Wayne State 26
In the second half, Winona State would maintain a double-digit advantage over Wayne State for the first ten minutes, as
Brock Voigt,
Declan Dillon and
Connor Dillon each scored in succession to give a 52-39 lead. However, while WSU was able to cruise through much of the final 20 minutes with a 10-plus point lead, the Wildcats clawed back into the game with just five minutes left to play.
Twice, WSC closed the Winona State lead to seven points and then Millender made it even more interesting with just 31 seconds left, knocking down a pair of free throws to close the score to just 69-65 Winona State. At that stage, enter
Olumide Adelodun, and the Calgary, Alberta product calmly knocked down four free throws in the final 20 seconds to seal the 73-65 Warrior win.
The victory allowed Winona State to earn their seventh win in eight games and maintain pace with the top third of the league in the race for a NSIC postseason spot.
WSU Stats Standouts:
Connor Dillon 18 points,6 rebounds
Olumide Adelodun 16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals
Connor Drew 11 points, 4 rebounds
Devon Fielding 10 points, 3 assists
Team Stats Comparables:
Both teams had four steals on the evening, but WSU blocked six Wildcat shots. WSC failed to block a shot in the contest.
Each squad hit 11 free throws in the contest; WSU was 11-of-20 (55%), WSC was 11-of-16 (68.8%).
Winona State hit 40.0% from behind the arc (10-of-25), while Wayne State hit 40.0% overall from the floor (24-of-60).
Up Next:
Winona State (15-8, 10-7 NSIC) will head west to Northern State University on Friday, February 16, for a 7:30 p.m. match-up with the Wolves. WSU currently sits sixth in the NSIC, while NSU (10-14, 8-10 NSIC) is tenth.
