The Wayne State men’s and women’s basketball teams ended the regular season on the right note, as both teams came away with wins Saturday over Winona State in front of a lively crowd at Rice Auditorium.
In the women’s game, Maggie Schulte recorded her 1,000th career point and had her third double-double of the year to help the Wildcats outlast the Warriors 67-63 in a game that also had implications for the regional rankings.
Wayne State came into the game ranked ninth in the region and Winona State was right behind them in 10th, and the game came down to the wire with seven ties and 10 lead changes before the Wildcats prevailed to enter the postseason with a 21-6 record (16-6 NSIC).
Winona State got out to a six-point lead early in the game, but Wayne State rallied and was able to finish the first quarter with a 21-17 advantage.
Wayne State led by as many as five before the Warriors came back to retake the lead at 27-26, but Wayne State responded and led 35-31 at the half.
Wayne State built a 41-34 lead on two Paige Ballinger free throws early in the third, and after Winona cut the lead to one, Wayne State rebuilt the lead to 47-42 going to the fourth quarter.
The two teams continued to trade the lead in the fourth and Winona State took their final lead at 60-58 with 3:45 to go. The game was tied 63-63 with :54 left when Schulte hit the go-ahead jumper. Haley Moore added two late free throws to seal the win.
Schulte finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds and became the 19th player in school history to record 1,000 career points. Anna Martensen added 18 points and Ballinger put in 11. Ballinger had six rebounds, Shulte had four assists and Moore had three steals.
In the men’s game, the Wildcats completed a rare season sweep of the Winona State men with a 74-59 win to improve to 10-18 overall and 8-14 in conference play.
Wayne State got off to a slow start and trailed 10-2 early, but went on an 11-2 run to take a 13-12 lead on a Vance Janssen layup midway through the half. The Wildcats led 26-20 with 3:48 to go and scored the final 10 points to take a 16-point halftime advantage.
Wayne State continued to dominate the visiting Warriors after the break, going on a 10-2 run to start the second half to build a 24-point lead and Winona State never got closer than eight after that.
Kendall Jacks led a balanced Wildcat attack with 14 points, Austin Esters added 13 and Jordan Cornleius put in 10 to go with a team-best eight rebounds. Brian Goodwin added seven boards and Janssen had five assists and two steals.
The Wildcats begin Northern Sun Conference tournament play on Wednesday. The women host Bemidji State at 7 p.m. at Rice Auditorium, while the men travel to St. Cloud State for a 7 p.m. matchup.
