WINONA, Minn. – The Winona State University men's basketball team opened its home slate with an 89-73 victory over Grand View University Thursday night in McCown Gymnasium. Freshman Devin Whitelow led a group of five Warriors who scored in double-digits with a season-best 19 points.

Whitelow scored 17 of those points in the second half of action in which the Warriors shot 59 percent from the field. Winona led for the entirety of the second half after taking a 43-38 lead into halftime.

Whitelow sparked a 7-2 run midway through the second half as WSU began to pull away from the Vikings, streaking through the paint for a layup twice before Connor Flack knocked down a three-pointer to give WSU a 68-59 lead with 9:34 remaining in the game.

With the Warrior offense finding its rhythm in the second half, the defense also stepped up the intensity. Winona guarded the three-point arc particularly well over the final 20 minutes of action, limiting the Vikings to a 1-for-8 effort. The Warriors only surrendered six Grand View points over the final six minutes while the offense put the game away for good.

Winona closed the game on a 17-6 run, including a stretch of eight straight points that Whitelow bookended with a pair of short jumpers.

Flack fell just shy of a double-double with 17 points and nine rebounds. Corey Jeffs also hauled in nine rebounds to go along with 14 points. Mason Domask (13) and Tommy Gathje (11) rounded out the scoring leaders for Winona.

The Warriors dished out 14 assists, led by Whitelow's six, and committed just six turnovers. WSU owned a 39-30 advantage on the glass, including nine offensive boards which led to 12 second-chance points.

Winona State (2-1) host Saint Mary's University in continued non-conference action on Tuesday night. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m.