WINONA, Minn. - The Winona State men's basketball team pulled ahead late in a physical 60-57 win that saw 16 ties and 16 lead changes.
WSU battled in a tough first half that saw them down 28-26 at the break. WSU took a 52-49 lead at 3:08 after an
Alessandro Tonelli three-pointer. The Warriors combined crucial defensive stops and late game scores to pull-ahead for the three-point win.
How it Happened:
Tonelli rattled off a three-ball to give WSU a 3-0 advantage at the 18:20 mark.
Jaron Crews gave Winona State a 9-7 edge at 14:26 with a layup. The Wildcats Aurrion Harris made a layup to grant them a 15-13 lead at the 10:44 mark.
Tyler Borowski connected on a jump-shot at 8:39 tying the contest at 17-17. Back-to-back
Ryan Heise three-pointers gave WSU a 23-20 advantage with 5:16 left in the half. Two free throws from
Gavyn Hurley put the Warriors back in front at 26-25 with 1:06 to play in the half. A three-ball by Kai Smith handed the Wildcats a 28-26 edge going into the second half.
Hurley scored on a layup to keep Winona State within a possession at 32-30 with 17:49 remaining. A
Tyler Mason jumper cut the Wildcats lead to 34-33 at the 14:07 mark. A pair of free throws from Hurley granted the Warriors their first advantage of the second half at 37-36 with 12:11 to play. Smith put WSC back in front after a layup at 10:24, making it 42-40 Wildcats. Consecutive buckets by Crews put WSU up 49-47 with 5:19 left in the contest. Following a Benjamin Kerkoff dunk, Tonelli knocked in a clutch three-ball at 3:08, making it 52-49 Warriors. Mason cruised through the lane for a layup extending the WSU edge to 54-49 at 1:34. JJ Ferrin buried a three-pointer at 1:13, cutting the Warriors advantage to 54-52. Hurley connected on a jumper, giving WSU some breathing room at 56-52 with 0:38 left. JJ Ferrin brought the game within a possession after a jumper at 0:28 made it 56-54 WSU. Three free throws from the Warriors were followed by a successful Kai Smith three-pointer at 0:07, clipping the WSU lead to 59-57.
Aidan Bardic went one-for-two from the FT line with 3.4 seconds remaining. The Wildcats missed a half-court shot at the buzzer to end the game 60-57 in favor of the Warriors.
Statistical Comparison:
- The Warriors shot 19-of-53 (35.8%) from the field while the Wildcats went 23-of-64 (35.9%)
- Winona State connected on five-of-19 (26.3%) three-pointers with Wayne State going six-of-28 (21.4%) from three-point land.
- WSU won the rebound battle 43-32 over the Wildcats.
- Hurley led WSU with 19 points on five-of-13 shooting and nine-of-11 from the FT line. He added a game-high 12 rebounds in his double-double performance.
- Three Warriors scored 10 points with Crews, Heise, and Mason all reaching double figures.
- Smith led Wayne State with 15 points on six-of-10 shooting while Ferrin added 12 points in the defensive led game.
Winona State finishes their home stand on Saturday, February 7, taking on Augustana at 3:00pm in McCown Gymnasium.
