Winona State's Leaf Earns 350th Victory In 90-65 Win Over Sioux Falls

12/13/2013 10:31:00 PM


WINONA, Minn. – A hot shooting opening half and a 10-0 run to begin the second led the Winona State men's basketball team to a 90-65 victory over Sioux Falls Friday in Winona.

The win was the 350th of WSU head coach Mike Leaf's career, giving the winningest coach in Winona State history a 350-133 mark in his 16 seasons on the Warrior bench.

The Warriors made seven of 11 shots from behind the 3-point line in the opening half and nine of 13 on the day, with Taylor Cameron leading the squad with a career-high four makes from long distance.

Four Warriors reached double figures scoring on the night, led by Cameron and Isaiah Gray who each had 18. Skyler O'Laughlin scored a career-high 11 while Nick Arenz also chipped in 11.

The Warriors moved the ball extremely well, recording 21 assists on 33 made field goals. Josh Mongan paced the team with six assists while Taylor and Cameron each recorded four. Winona State shot 50.8 percent (33-of-65) for the game while knocking down 69.2 percent (9-of-13) of its 3-point attempts.

Winona State controlled the glass throughout the night, outrebounding Sioux Falls 24-9 in the first half and 41-27 on the game. Kellen Taylor led the Warriors with ten boards while Mark Blacklock and Gray each added five.

WSU was very active on the defensive end as well, forcing 19 Sioux Falls turnovers. Taylor had an outstanding all-around game, leading the Warriors with four steals while also blocking a pair of shots.

Winona State opened the game on fire from behind the 3-point line, hitting seven of 11 shots from deep to jump out to a 43-30 halftime lead. Cameron scored 16 of his points in the opening half, making four attempts from behind the 3-point line in the first period.

The Warriors (8-2 overall, 4-0 NSIC) will return to action on Saturday when they host Southwest Minnesota State at 6 pm.