MARSHALL, Minn. – Southwest Minnesota State rallied from a 13-point first half deficit, limiting Winona State to 10 second half points, to earn a hard-fought 50-49 victory on Friday night in NSIC men's basketball.
 
SMSU's Cliff McCray gave the Mustangs its first lead since the first half with a layup with 48 seconds remaining to make the score 50-49.
 
SMSU (6-3, 2-2 NSIC) closed the game shooting 39 percent, including just 31 percent in the second half.
 
WSU (6-2, 2-2 NSIC), which shot a blistering 56 percent in the first half with eight 3-pointers, was held to 5 of 25 shooting in the second half. WSU held a 45-32 lead with 15:34 remaining in the half but was held to just four points for the remainder of the game, including the final seven minutes and 50 seconds.
 
Anthony Costello led the Mustangs with 12 points on 6 of 10 shooting, while Jake Phipps chipped in with 11. Phipps and Cliff McCray each had a team-high eight rebounds, while Logan Benson had a solid game with five points, six rebounds and two steals.
 
Both teams started the game red-hot shooting from long range as Phipps drilled a 3-pointer midway through the half to tie the game at 20-20.
 
SMSU would later regain its second lead of the half with 9:11 following back-to-back field goals from Phipps and Costello.
 
WSU would then use solid defense, allowing just two field goals the remainder of the half, in building a 13-point lead with just over a minute left in the half before settling for a 39-28 halftime lead.
 
WSU shot 56 percent in the opening half and made 8 of 16 from 3-point range.
 
SMSU closed the opening half shooting 46 percent and committed nine turnovers.
 
Both teams struggled shooting in the second half, but SMSU would slowly cut into the deficit and trailed by one at 47-46 with 8:19 remaining following a jumper from Costello.
 
WSU answered with a jumper at the 7:50 mark to build a 49-46 advantage, but it was the final points of the game for the Warriors.
 
SMSU also struggled to score and went scoreless for more nearly six minutes before a pair of free throws by Kenny Byers with 2:30 remaining to make the score 49-48.
 
Two possessions later, McCray put SMSU in the lead with the eventual game-winning field goal with 48 seconds left. WSU would have two attempts to regain the lead on its next possession before Benson secured a defensive rebound with nine seconds left. Benson would miss the front end of a one-and-one allowing WSU one more chance at the win, but a 3-point attempt by Alec Rosner missed and Grant Kramer secured the rebound for SMSU and victory.
 
Devin Whitelow paced the Warriors with 11 points, eight assists and six rebounds.
 
Southwest Minnesota State returns to the court on Saturday afternoon hosting Upper Iowa at 3:30 p.m.