WINONA, Minn. - The Winona State men's basketball team faced off against St. Cloud State to begin their NSIC weekend, dropping the contest 93-87 in overtime.
In a game with high intensity, the Warriors saw themselves tied with the Huskies on seven different occasions. Isaiah Thompson and Connor Drew would lead Winona State with 21 points a piece.
How it Happened:
St. Cloud State jumped out to an early 8-0 lead, but Connor Drew would start the Warriors off knocking down three shots from beyond the arc to tie the game at 16-16. The Warriors found themselves fighting uphill the whole first half never taking the lead but keeping within an arm's reach of the Huskies until the final two and a half minutes when SCSU would go on a 14-5 run to finish the half with WSU down 47-34.
The Warriors would catch fire to begin the second half scoring 13 straight points including a slew of three-pointers from multiple Warriors. Battling the rest of the half until the Warriors went on a run highlighted by multiple free throws from Tyler Mason following a St. Cloud State technical foul, extending the lead to 10 points with 1:18 seconds left. In the final minute of action, chaos would ensue with the Huskies taking full advantage of each opportunity given and eventually tie the game up on a pair of free throws from Nate Dahl. WSU got the final shot and did not connect, giving us five more minutes of action.
In overtime, Isaiah Thompson would get on the board first for Winona State, but the Huskies would quickly respond with two free throws and a three-pointer from Kynan Philippe. SCSU didn't look back from that point on and took the game 93-87.
Statistical Leaders:
- Isaiah Thompson collected yet another double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
- Connor Drew had 21 points and three rebounds.
- Tyler Mason knocked down 9-10 free throws on his way to 15 points for WSU.
- Morgan Lucas led SCSU with 20 points and six rebounds.
Team Comparisons:
- St. Cloud State would collect 40 points in the paint with the Warriors collecting 24.
- Winona State shot 63.9% from the charity stripe compared to the Huskies 72.2%.
- WSU shot 45.6% from the field and 34.3% from beyond the arc while SCSU shot 49.3% from the field and 34.3% from the three-point line.
- The game saw itself tied seven separate times with four different lead changes.
