MARSHALL, Minn. – The Winona State men's basketball team traveled to No. 17 Southwest Minnesota State and rallied to earn a 66-59 victory.
After trailing by seven with under eight minutes to go, WSU ended the game on a 22-8 run to ice SMSU on their annual 'Tropical Night' in front of 2,312 fans at the R/A Facility in Marshall, Minn.
Luke Haertle and
Connor Drew both brought the heat, notching 20-point double-doubles to lead the Warriors to victory.
How it Happened:
In a back-and-forth opening half, Winona State jumped out to a 16-9 after a 3-pointer from Drew. The Mustangs answered right back, going on a 10-0 run to take a three-point lead. SMSU gained their biggest lead of the half at 28-20 with 2:12 remaining in the first frame. A three pointer from Drew and a pair of free throws by Haertle helped the Warriors head into the locker room down just five at the break.
Southwest Minnesota State came out of halftime with a three-pointer by Aeron Stevens in their first possession and then reached the largest lead of the game by any team as the Mustangs were up 41-31 with 14:41 left in the contest. WSU was able to hit three 3-pointers to bring the game back within three points with just over 10 minutes remaining.
After SMSU took a 51-44 lead with 7:46 left, Winona State locked in defensively and make timely shots to quiet the raucous home crowd. Back-to-back three pointers by Drew and Haertle quickly brought the Warriors back into the game, and they did not look back from there. The ballgame was all square at 55 apiece with 3:11 remaining, and then a pair of free throws by Drew, and a steal and layup from Haertle gave Winona State the cushion they needed.
Jhei-R Jones, Haertle, and Drew sealed the game by knocking down free throws in the final seconds to lead WSU to a 66-59 win.
Statistical Leaders:
- Luke Haertle led all scorers with 23 points, while also collecting 10 rebounds and three assists in 37 minutes of action.
- Connor Drew used 38 minutes of court time to score 21 points and grab 10 boards while shooting 5-8 from deep and going a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe.
- Jhei-R Jones dished out six assists and Isaiah Thompson collected eight rebounds.
- Jakob Braaten led SMSU with 14 points on 5-10 shooting.
Team Comparison:
- Winona State went 22-50 (76.5%) from the field and 9-28 (32.1%) from deep, including 5-9 in the second half.
- Southwest Minnesota State shot 41.5% (22-53) from the field and just 23.1% (6-26) from beyond the arc.
- WSU made 13 of their 17 free-throw attempts while SMSU was 9-14 from the line.
- Winona State scored 14 points off turnovers and 24 points in the paint. The Mustangs scored 28 points in the paint and 11 points off turnovers.
Winona State improves to 17-7 overall and 12-6 in the NSIC, just one game back of Concordia-St. Paul and Southwest Minnesota State who lead the league with 13-5 records. The Warriors will welcome UMary and Minot State to McCown Gymnasium on Friday, February 14 and Saturday, February 15.
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