Erin Cochran/Winonan

The Winona State University men’s basketball team fell 93-83 at last Thursday’s home opener exhibition game against St. Thomas, but pulled out a win against Saint Mary’s on Saturday, 83-58.

The Tommies were up 47-31 at half, but the Warriors came within six points from back-to-back layups from Jordan Fischer and Zander Culver.

Though the momentum picked up, that was as close as the Warriors would get, as St. Thomas brought home the win, much help form the free throw line.

Taylor Cameron scored 22 points, had three steals, five rebounds and two assists.

Kellen Taylor scored 16 points, blocked five shots and added seven rebounds.

Xavier Humphrey and Culver each added six, while Fischer put up six along with 11 rebounds.

The Warriors got their momentum back Nov. 3, defeating St. Mary’s, 83-58.

Winona State held the lead for much of the first half, up by 40-29 at the buzzer.

The Cardinals put up a fight coming out after half and quickly pulled within one. This began the Warriors 15-2 run that turned the game around and ultimately led to a Winona State victory.

Culver added 11 points and Caleb Palkert added ten. Fischer scored eight points along with seven rebounds and complimentary assists.

Clayton Vette added 19 and had ten rebounds to record his season’s first double-double. He also blocked seven shots on the court.

Winona State is currently ranked 11th in the NABC Division II poll. Last season, the Warriors went 25-5 and are hoping for another winning season, this time with a trip to the playoffs.

With the stacked back and frontcourt of returners, the Warriors should continue using the electricity they played with last season.

In the backcourt, four of the five starters from last year including Humphrey and Cameron, who started all 30 games, will likely be a deadly duo once again.

Last season, Humphrey averaged 9.2 points per game finishing second on the team with a total of 40 three-point shots.

Over half of his shots were made from behind the three-point line and shot 45.6 percent from the floor.

Cameron averaged nine points and 5.7 rebounds per game and was named All-Conference Second Team. He had 84 assists and scored well into double figures in eight of the last 14 games.

Culver averaged 6.9 points per game and 36 treys on offense.

Fischer only had a chance to play four games but is healed and ready to contribute.

This season Isaiah Gray, Josh Mongan and Rily Bambenek are ready as true freshmen while Mark Blacklock, a Winona native, and Conrad Mosberg will be ready to make an impact after being redshirts.

The Warriors have an explosive frontcourt comprised of powerhouses including All-American Vette. He became a member of the Winona State 1,000 point club last season, scoring well into double figures in 23 of 28 games and put up at least 20 points on 12 key occasions. He also has All-Region and All-Conference recognitions.

Taylor is undoubtedly one of the Warriors most versatile players. Last season, he averaged five points per game with 3.8 rebounds. He also had 30 steals and 26 blocks.

Grant Johnson, another key player averaged 15 points in his 19 games of last season.

Palkert played 19 games, scoring 18 points and Skyler O’Laughlin averaged 2.1 points in 18 games as a freshman. Both are looking to add spark on the court.

As far as the 2012-13 season projections look, all is bright and positive for the Warriors. The team earned 16 first-place votes from the NSIC league coaches’ vote.

The Warriors season will begin Nov. 9 when they play in the Disney Classic in Anaheim, Calif. facing the Grand Canyon University ‘Lopes.

They will return to McCown Gymnasium on Nov. 16 to take on Bemidji State with tipoff at 5:00 p.m.

Season tickets for all 30 men’s and women’s games cost $150.00 and can be purchased through the Winona State Warriors

Athletic website, or at the box office located outside McCown Gymnasium.

For all questions regarding tickets contact Travis Whipple at [email protected].

Contact Erin at [email protected].