Winona State University Men’s Basketball was hard at work over winter break, winning six of the nine games played.

These wins were followed by the two most recent wins against the University of Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State University over the past weekend. The Warriors beat the Bulldogs 71-52 on Friday, Jan. 12, then beat the Huskies 102-100 in overtime. The Warriors have won 12 of their 18 games so far this season, surpassing their total from the end of the season last year.

The Warriors led the first half of the game against the Bulldogs, ending with a 37-24 lead. The second half of the game allowed the Warriors to lead by double digits for the entire 20 minutes. First-year Devin Whitelow garnered 16 points throughout the 40 minutes of play, while sophomore Caleb Wagner scored his own 15 points and set a personal season record of seven rebounds. During the second half lead, the Warriors were able to lead by as much as 26 points, thanks to a dunk by first-year Dalante Peyton.

“Every game is different. Every team has their own challenges, and we are continuing to fix small things week by week,” Coach Todd Eisner said about strategies for the two games.

The following day, the men played against St. Cloud State University. The Warriors trailed at the end of the first half by 19 points, which continued until the last seven minutes of the game. The Warriors stood at 15 points with seven minutes left on the clock.

Junior Connor Flack made his third three-point shot of the night to kick-off a ten-point streak, closing the gap to 77-72. Senior Corey Jeffs made his own three-point shot with less than four minutes on the clock to close the gap even further. First-year Kevion Taylor also sank a three-pointer to tie the game at 82 points. Both Jeffs and St. Cloud State added a few more points on the board before the final buzzer, tying the game at 91 points.

In overtime, Junior Tommy Gathje gave Winona the final lead with three minutes left on the clock. Gathje also added a three-point shot with 45 seconds left.

The game against St. Cloud State University gave the men’s team many opportunities to set personal as well as team records. Jeffs scored 33 points during the game, 20 of which were in the second half. The team averaged 57 percent from beyond the three-point line, a season best. They also scored 17 three-pointers during the game. The last time the Warriors were that close to that many three-pointers was in 2011, when they scored 18.

“People will be playing more minutes than they are used to. They will need to step up as a whole to cover for the injured players,” Eisner said about changes in the line-up.

Junior Charlie Koontz suffered a concussion while at practice during the week and was unable to play during the games this past weekend. Junior Mason Domask was also injured prior to the games against the Bulldogs and the Huskies. The men’s basketball team will be hitting the road this week as they make their way towards Wayne State University in Nebraska and Augustana University in Sioux Falls, SD.