Winona State holds off Northern Michigan 64-59 in Wisconsin Dells
Winona State built a halftime lead in Wisconsin Dells and held off a second-half Northern Michigan comeback to win 64-59, improving to 2-3 ahead of its home opener.
Winona State earned a 64-59 win over Northern Michigan in Wisconsin Dells after building an early lead and withstanding a late push.
The Warriors opened with a 7-0 run and led 41-32 at halftime, shooting 62.1 percent from the field in the first half.
Northern Michigan cut the margin to 53-52 with just under seven minutes left in the second half as the Wildcats kept chipping away.
Winona State answered down the stretch with a three-pointer from Tyler Mason, a layup from Nick Taylor, a late three from Luke Haertle and a layup from Gavyn Hurley. Mason added two free throws in the final seconds.
Haertle led Winona State with 19 points. Ryan Heise added 12 points and six rebounds, Mason finished with 10 points and Kaiden Space contributed eight. The Warriors shot 47.3 percent overall for the game.
Both teams left at 2-3, Northern Michigan also at 2-3 after the loss. Winona State returns home Wednesday, Nov. 18, against Upper Iowa for its home opener at 7 p.m.
