The Winona State University men’s basketball team made a clean sweep this weekend by defeating the University of Mary and Minot State University. This was their last home game for the season where they also celebrated their fourth-year students.
The Warriors played in their first game on Valentine’s Day against the University of Mary. Compared to the Warriors, the University of Mary is a weaker team according to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) points table which allowed the Warriors to enter the gym with a bit of extra confidence.
In the first five minutes, the University of Mary managed to grab a 14-point lead. There were multiple missed shots from Winona State, causing them to use one of their timeouts early to formulate a comeback strategy. A couple of excellent free throws from Warrior Isaiah Thompson got them back into the game but there were more than 10 points that they had to score to equalize.
Winona State Head Coach Todd Eisner noted in an after-match interview that he was disappointed with the first-half performance. He even credited the University of Mary players and their passion for the game.
A few good 3-pointers from Connor Drew and Luke Haertle helped the Warriors to recover. They finished the first half by scoring 33 points, whereas the University of Mary scored 38.
The second half was certainly a comeback for the Warriors. They scored eight free throws among the 12 they shot in this half. They also managed five fast break points whereas the University of Mary players got zero.
“My teammates are amazing at identifying weaknesses,” Haertle said. “At halftime, we make adjustments, and we come out strong together.”
The Warriors gained the lead after scoring 50 points. They kept this lead till the end and won the match 73-68 points. Haertle scored 27 points, the highest for his team, and 11 rebounds.
The second match of the week was crucial for the Warriors as they were facing Minot State, who were also striving to be at the top of the NSIC points table. These teams faced each other previously and Minot State had won the match after three overtime plays.
The match was a show-off of high defensive skills from both sides. In the first half, Minot State began by scoring a 2-pointer. They later on tried to maintain their lead for the first 10 minutes of the game.
After those 10 minutes, the control of the game went back into the hands of the Warriors. They started to increase their lead and held it as well. In the last three minutes, they scored 10 points and finished the first half with an 11-point lead.
In this NSIC season, the Warriors have a 93.23% chance of winning the match if they score more than the opponent in the first half. This match was no different.
Jhei-R Jones scored 17 points, which is the most points for the Warriors in this match. The Warriors scored 13 of the 2-pointers in this second half. They also made 3-pointers five times.
The match finished at 83-58 points, with Winona State as the winner. They are on their fourth win, maintaining their streak.
The Warriors also celebrated a Seniors’ Night for three of their players, Drew, Jones, and Thompson, who each were granted moments to honor their commitment to the sport after the game.
After this match, there have been a couple of changes in the NSIC points table. Five teams are at the top of the table with 14 wins. Each team has two more matches left. There are also two teams with 13 points who still have a chance to qualify for the final rounds of the tournament.
“We are trying to win the conference at this point, trying to do whatever it takes,” Drew said.
“Our goal is to finish the number one team in this conference,” Thompson said.
At this point, Winona State has to win two of their matches to ensure that they will qualify. If they win at least one of the matches, they must wait for the results of the other teams.
Next week, Winona State is going to face Minnesota State University, Moorhead on Friday, Feb. 21, at 5:30 pm. They will also face St. Cloud State University on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 3:30 pm. Both these matches will be away from home.
