Winona State University men’s basketball team defeated Michigan Tech University with a score of 90-78. The game took place on their home court on Saturday, Nov.16.
The game began with a 2-point shot from Michigan Tech, followed shortly by a 3-pointer that bumped the score to 5-0 in favor of the opposing team.
The Warriors made a quick comeback with a 3-pointer by Tyler Mason, but a back-and-forth battle of 2-point shots kept the score relatively equal for a good portion of the half.
Winona State attempted to snatch the lead but was forced to wait until 10 points had passed before Luke Haertle allowed them to claim the advantage with a 3-pointer.
The Warriors showed their toughness by maintaining this lead by 10 points. The new Warrior point guard Jhei-R Jones is a high-valued addition to Warrior plays. He scored several shots to maintain the lead for them.
Michigan Tech got their lead back after 25 points had passed. Connor Drew, one of Winona State’s star players of last season, faced unfortunate luck, missing a few vital shots while Michigan Tech bared down on him with their defensive tactics.
However, the Warriors did not have to wait long to turn the tide of the game in their favor. Some tactical plays from Haertle and Isaiah Thompson helped them recover. The first half ended at 46-38 with the Warriors once again in the lead.
In the second half, the Warriors tried to hold a lead of at least 10 points at all times. They also managed to achieve 26 free throw opportunities which helped them to dominate.
In this half, Michigan Tech devoted much of their focus to Haertle and Jones. This gave Drew several openings to score, allowing him to end the night with a 3-pointer and 11 points in total.
The match ended with 90-78 points, a 12-point lead from the Warriors which would be a big confidence booster for their future matches.
“The sky is the limit for this team,” Jones said. “We have a very great spot if we continue to trust each other and just continue to play hard.”
If we look at the individual achievements, Haertle scored a total of 34 points. Jones’ score of a total of 20 points is also impressive considering his position as a point guard.
Warrior head coach Todd Eisner shared his confidence in his team. He especially emphasized that all five of his starters have achieved a double-double (scoring ten or more in at least two of the five main statistical categories) in the last two games, which makes them quite the balanced team.
Last season, Winona State finished sixth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). They now find themselves in a bout of success with a team full of new faces. Before the 16th, they had already won three friendly games this season.
“I am excited to get into it,” Haertle said. “I’ve heard a lot of hype about the NSIC, and I am really excited to play against some really good teams and some good competition.”
The Warriors will travel to Kenosha, Wis. To face Hillsdale College on Saturday, November 23, at 1:00 pm for a non-conference game that will hopefully result in another win to maintain their relatively strong streak so far this season.
