WINONA, Minn. - The Winona State University men's basketball team started their final regular season NSIC home stand impressively on Friday, defeating Bemidji State University 87-81 in McCown Gymnasium, home of WNB Financial Court.
Winona State (18-9, 13-8 NSIC) saw another outstanding performance from Connor Dillon, as the standout from Peoria, Illinois poured in 30 points, one of four Warriors to reach double digits on the day. Olumide Adelodun scored 20 points and hauled in seven rebounds, while Brock Voigt added 14 points and nine boards. Connor Drew chipped in 11 points towards the Warrior effort.
How it Happened:
The Winona State faithful were given a taste of things to come when Connor Dillon knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers just past the opening minute of play, combing with Warrior teammate Brock Voigt who scored a pair of close-range jumpers to give WSU an early 10-3 lead.
BSU battled back and eventually took the lead in the opening 20 minutes when BJ Davis hit a triple to break a 23-23 tie just before the 11-minute mark. The visitors maintained their lead over WSU throughout much of the rest of the half, but Winona State tied the score at 38-38 before BSU hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Beavers a 41-39 halftime lead.
At the Half: BSU 41, Winona State 39
After the break, WSU and BSU traded buckets early on, as over 1,000 fans saw the two teams tied on four different occasions in the opening 10 minutes of play. A Brock Voigt dunk at 9:05 gave the home team a lift and the crowd a spark, a turning point in the game followed by a six-point Warrior run.
As in the first half, Bemidji State showed resiliency and carved into the Warrior advantage, tying the game at 69-69 following a pair of Beaver free throws. However, Olumide Adelodun factored significantly in the final five minutes of play, scoring six free throws and a short jumper in the paint in the final 90 seconds to preserve the 87-81 Warrior win.
For Connor Dillon, the 30-point night marked the sixth time this season the Peoria, Illinois product scored 30 points or more in a game. Dillon has now scored 1,340 points at Winona State, moving him into the Top 20 all-time in scoring at WSU.
WSU Stats Standouts:
Connor Dillon 30 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists
Olumide Adelodun 20 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals
Brock Voigt 14 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists
Connor Drew 11 points
Team Stats Comparables:
Bemidji State was 12-of-18 (66.7%) from the free throw line while the Warriors were 14-of-16 (87.5%) at the charity stripe.
WSU had a slight 30-28 edge in total rebounds and racked up a 5-2 advantage in steals.
Connor Dillon was 12-of-19 from the floor for WSU; BSU's top two scorers hit 11 shots combined from the floor.
Beyond the Boxscore:
WSU avenged a 92-58 loss to BSU suffered on January 13.
WSU has won eight of the last 11 games against the Beavers.
Up Next:
Winona State (18-9, 13-8 NSIC) continues its NSIC weekend tomorrow, taking on Minnesota Crookston on Saturday, February 24. The Warriors and Golden Eagles will face off at 5:30 p.m. in McCown Gymnasium, home of WNB Financial Court.
