Box Score

WINONA, Minn. – Winona State scored 22 of its last 26 points from the free throw line on its way to a 87-77 victory over St. Cloud State Sunday in McCown Gymnasium.

Grant Johnson scored 13 of his career-high 28 points from the free throw line as the No. 10 Warriors hit 36 foul shots as a team. Johnson’s 13 free throws are tied for the sixth most in a single game in WSU history.  He was also 7-of-10 from the field and blocked a pair of shots.

In a game of runs the Warriors built a 28-14 advantage with 8:30 to play in the first half. St. Cloud State responded with a 15-5 run over the next five minutes to pull within four, 33-29. The Warriors came right back to build a 40-31 advantage at the half on a 7-2 spurt in the final minutes of the period.

St. Cloud State took a 49-48 lead after the first six minutes of the second half. The game remained tight until a layup and 3-pointer by Clayton Vette on back-to-back possessions started the Warriors on a 16-2 run that gave the team some breathing room. WSU was able to salt the game away from the free throw line to preserve the victory.

Vette scored 11 points while Zander Culver came off the bench to score ten with four assists. CJ Erickson led a defensive effort that saw the Warriors block eight shots, with three of those rejections coming from Erickson.

Winona State is now 13-2 overall and 8-1 in the NSIC. The team is tied for first in the NSIC standings.

The Warriors will hit the road next weekend, travelling to Minnesota, Crookston and MSU Moorhead.