Warriors Win 2 on Weekend

Hey Warrior fans coach, Brady Moore, here with an update on our squad and the games we had this past weekend. Well it was another outstanding weekend for our guys as we were able to win both games and stay only 1 game out of first place in the NSIC.

On Friday night we played a Wayne St. team that played us tough out in Wayne and then again here at home but we were able to pull out the win by a score of 77-68, click on the link for a box score. (http://www.winona.edu/athletics/mbasketball/stats/25wscwsu.htm) While we were happy to pick up the win, we were again not very sharp as a team. Offensively we really struggled in the first half shooting the basketball as we shot only 38% from the floor, our spacing was not the best and our movement was a step slow as well. We just did not show much intensity or aggressiveness in our play and you could tell as we were really out of rhythm. This also carried over to the defensive side of the ball as we were a step slow getting out on rotations and we allowed way to much dribble penetration. This amounted to them shooting a great percentage from the floor in the half and was a huge reason why we were down one at the break. In the second half our energy was better and we were going after the ball a bit more on the defensive end. Offensively we were were finally able to knock down a couple of shots and we took the ball too the hoop much more as well. Defensively we were better at not allowing them dribble penetration but they still shot the ball very well from the floor once again. One of the other main keys for the second half was our rebounding was much better then in the first half. In the first half they had a ton of offensive rebounds but in the second half they did not get an offensive rebound as we were able to hold them to a one and done every time down the floor.

The second night we really showed up to play a full game as our intensity and aggressiveness that has been missing for a couple of weeks finally showed up as we pulled away down the stretch for an 81-68 win (http://www.winona.edu/athletics/mbasketball/stats/26acwsu.htm) Click on link for box score. While we did not shoot the ball well as team we were still very aggressive at taking the ball to the basket and getting to the foul line to make up for our bad shooting percentage. Our guys did a great job of attacking the basket whenever they could and we did a great job of moving the ball to find the open man. I felt the key was we did not take too many shots early in the shot clock like we had in the past couple of games, we waited until we had a great open look and while some did not fall we were patient but aggressive at the right moment which allowed us to take as many free throws as we did. Another key on the offensive end was our offensive rebounding. We did an excellent job of crashing each possession and getting tip outs to get us two or three possession each time down the floor, which is huge as each offensive rebound seems to deflate the other team each time it occurs. On the defensive end of the floor I felt our guys did a great job of being physical with them and not letting them go where they wanted to go on offense. We did allow them so good looks at the basket at times but most of the time it was a contested shot they were taking. We also did a good job of defending one on one for most of the night as well but when we did allow dribble penetration our help defense was right where it should be making it difficult for them to get all the way to the hoop. Our rebounding on defense was okay for most of the night but we again allowed them too many offensive rebounds throughout the game. Overall I think our effort for this game was excellent, everyone on the team was in the game from the tip off and we played with an aggressiveness on both ends that we had not had in a while. Hopefully we can carry this effort over to the next weekend as we again will have our hands full with a tough Bemidji St. squad.

That is it for now, keep checking back for updates as we will have an alumni news, a new poll to vote on and our "Get to know Your Warriors" segment this week.

Till next time, GO WARRIORS!!!!!