Winona State University’s men’s basketball team showcased their skills and teamwork on the court last Saturday as they took on Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) in a heated Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) match. The game was played on Feb. 11 at Southern Minnesota State University where the Warriors ultimately secured a hard-fought 72 – 68 points victory in overtime.

The game started off with a flurry of activity, as both teams came out strong and eager to win. SMSU took the advantage early with the help of scoring the game’s first basket. However, the Warriors quickly caught up and the first quarter was filled with fast-paced action, with neither team able to gain a significant lead. By halftime, the score was 23 – 36 with Southwest Minnesota State in the lead.

The second half saw the Warriors step up their game, as they tightened up their defense and began to take control of the game. Winona State player James Kelley had a huge impact on the game, scoring 16 points, all after the halftime break. Though Winona State took a late lead in the second half, they managed to hold it for a long time.

Winona State coach Todd Eisner was happy with their performance and in a pre-match interview, he addressed how challenging it will be.

“Every game in the NSIC is challenging. It does not matter if we play at home or on the road.  We play two of the better teams in the South this weekend and know we will have to play well to have a chance to win,” Eisner said.

In the overtime, Winona State continued a pattern of strong free-throw shooting on the night, with both James Kelley and Connor Dillon draining free-throw attempts with under 20 seconds to go in the extra stanza to pull Winona State ahead for good and notch the 72 – 68 victory. 

Overall, Winona State shot 24 of 66 (36.4%) from the floor and was just 8 of 28 (28.6%) from beyond the arc, but an impressive 16 of 18 (88.9%) effort at the charity stripe led to the Warrior win. WSU out-rebounded the Mustangs, 41 – 34, and wreaked havoc on Southwest Minnesota State defensively, earning 12 steals in the game with Luke Martens and Declan Dillon accumulating four apiece.

When looking at individual achievement, Winona State Connor Dillon is leading with 18.3 points per game and 36.2 minutes per game, and he is also the reigning South Division Player of the Week twice in a row.

Coach Eisner said, “Connor Dillon is having a very good season scoring for us. He knows he is going to see the other team’s best defensive player every game.  When other players step up and help with our scoring, it makes us much harder to play against.”

The Warriors improved their overall record to 14 – 11 and remained in seventh place in the NSIC South Division with a 9 – 11 conference record. The Mavericks also stood still in their third position with 15 -10 overall and 11 – 9 in conference play.

Winona State averages 69.0 points per game offensively while giving up 69.0 points per game to the opponents as well. They have a balanced team where they need to pull up one extra point to win matches.

The key victory on Saturday allowed Winona State to stay within striking distance of a handful of other NSIC South teams in the postseason race for the final two playoff spots. The Warriors will travel to Minnesota State on Thursday, Feb. 16 in a must-win game against the Mavericks before hosting Concordia – St. Paul on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023.