WINONA, Minn. – MSU Moorhead fell victim to a wickedly efficient Winona State squad on Friday evening as the Warriors handed the Dragons their second loss of the season in an 83-72 decision.
MSUM would jump out to a quick 19-11 lead midway through the first half as
Logan Kinsey led MSUM with seven points. Kinsey,
Jacob Beeninga and
Ja'Kair Sanchez would all nail three-pointers to help build the Dragon lead. Kinsey would continue to score at an efficient pace as the sophomore scored 10 points on four of five shooting to that point.
Eddie Beeninga would get in on the action in the first half, scoring five points off the bench. The Dragons would hold a 27-18 lead over the Warriors with just over five minutes remaining in the first half. However, Winona State would come roaring back to close the half, finishing on an 11-2 run to pull even with the Dragons. At the break, the teams were tied at 29 points as Kinsey led MSUM with 12 points.
The Dragon shooting woes continued in the first frame as MSUM only connected on 33.3 percent of their shot attempts. Winona State would shoot an effective 48.1 percent but were marred by eight early turnovers. Connor Dillon led the Warriors with 12 points at the breather.
Both MSUM and Winona State would trade punches to begin the second half before the Warriors went on a run again. The Warriors went on a 10-0 stretch to build a 44-35 lead with just over 15 minutes remaining in the game.
Jacob Beeninga would snap the run with a three-pointer to cut the deficit to seven points.
The Beeninga Connection would strike on the next Dragon possession as Eddie found Jacob for another three ball. Thanks to a foul on the next possession, Beeninga would push his individual run to 8-0, cutting the Warrior lead to four points (47-43). Winona State would do a wonderful job in response, building another large run of 13-4 to hold a 60-47 advantage with under 10 minutes remaining.
Trailing by nine points and needing a basket, the Beeninga brothers found each other once more. This time, a driving Jacob found a ready Eddie for a triple to trim the Warrior lead to six points. Yet, Winona State would again answer on the left hand of Connor Dillon, who splashed home a massive three with under five minutes remaining. The bucket gave the Warriors a 70-59 lead late in the contest.
Ultimately, Winona State proved too potent for MSUM to handle as the Warriors would shoot 61.5 percent from the field in the second half. Dillon led the way with a game-high 27 points. While
Owen Hektner would bury a pair of triples to bring MSUM some offense late in the contest, it was just not enough. The Dragons shot just 37.3 percent for the game in the 83-72 loss.
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Up Next
The Dragons (17-2, 11-2) will now look to a matchup with fifth-ranked Minnesota State tomorrow afternoon in Mankato. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 p.m.
