SPRINGFIELD, MA -- The final leg of a four-season trip came to an end for the Winona State University seniors, as they made their last stop by defeating Augusta State University, GA 87-76 in the championship game of the NCAA Division II Elite Eight Tournament held at the MassMutual Center.
It is the second time the Warriors have come away from a trip to the MassMutual Center with the Divsion II title trophy in their hands and only a less-than second lapse kept the Warriors from three straight Division II titles.
But as they have over their four-year trip the Warriors had to climb mountain after mountain to reach the peak of Division II basketball. Just as the Warriors did in the quarterfinal game against Grand Valley State University, MI and in the semifinal game against Bentley College, MA, the Warriors trailed at half. But this time is was by 12 points and not like the five against GVSU and the six against BC.
Also this time around the Warriors did not come out with thier quick return to the lead in the second half. WSU trailed by 12 at the halftime break and saw that deficit enlarged to 16, 53-37, with 17:25 left. But just in the previous two games of the tournament, the Warriors reached down deep and came back for the win.
A three-point field goal by John Smith (one of a personal best four he had in the game) put the Warriors in the lead 64-63 at the 7:40 mark and capped off a 33-19 run by the Warriors. ASU got back to within one at 69-68 with 5:13 to play, but a 7-0 run, that featured two free throws each by Jonte Flowers and Ben Fischer and a three-pointer by Quincy Henderson, put the Warriors up by their biggest lead of the night, 82-70, with 1:27 to play.
Last year the Warriors lost a seven-point lead with 45 seconds left in the DII title game, but this time around the Warriors would have none of that, as they built their lead to ten at 84-74 with 41 seconds remaining and then a free throw by Flowers and a layup by Travis Whipple sealed the deal for the Warriors and ended their four-year quest.
Flowers, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament, finished with as game-high 30 points, while Smith, was named with Flowers to the All-Tournament Team, took his four three-point field goals and went on to tally 18 points. Whipple contributed to the balanced WSU scoring with 13 points and Henderson, who finished with a double-double, netted ten points and grabbed 10 rebounds to finish this three-game tournament stint with a double-double, rebound-point average.
As the four-year trip for the WSU seniors came to an end they had made their travels by playing in 146 games and posting a 129-17 record.
