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TOPEKA, KAN. — Although embarking on a comeback and bringing the game within two possessions in the final minutes, rebounding troubles faulted the No. 6 Southwest Minnesota State University mens basketball team in a 69-62 loss to No. 3 Winona State University Saturday afternoon in the NCAA Central Region quarterfinals. The Mustangs never led during the game.

The Mustangs were outrebounded 23-12 in the first half, and 45-26 overall. WSU finished with 20 second-chance points to SMSU’s 0, and the Warriors built up a 13-point lead by halftime.

SMSU brought the game within 5 points in the final minute after overcoming as much as a 16-point deficit. Yet, the Mustangs had to result in fouling WSU, to which they were able to hit the free throws in the end to seal the game.

Sparking SMSU’s rally back, Dunwa Omot grabbed a steal and drilled in a 3-pointer to bring the Mustangs within 58-51 with 5:45 to go. Aeron Stevens then got a steal of his own, which resulted in a Jakob Braaten fast break layup to make it a 5-point game, 60-55, with just over two minutes left.

WSU’s Isaiah Thompson was found open for a layup, and Braaten brought the game back within two possessions after going 1 of 2 at the free-throw line after drawing a foul, 62-56.

The Warriors’ defense continued to stay cohesive, and forced a SMSU turnover with a steal for an open basket for a 64-56 lead with under a minute to go.

The Mustangs had to begin to foul while in the bonus, and despite late 3-pointers from both Omot and Mekhi Shaw, the Warriors were able to make their free throws to stay ahead.

Overall, WSU went 12 of 15 from the charity stripe, including a 6 for 6 performance for Connnor Drew.

The Mustangs performed better on the offensive glass in the opening minutes of the second half with four rebounds to WSU’s one, but SMSU couldn’t get shots to fall and went 1 for 10 from the field in the first five minutes.

Landon Pokorski, Steven Kramer and Mason Lund hit three straight jump shots, along with a Kramer free throw after drawing a foul, to cut into a 42-31 deficit with just under 13 minutes to go, igniting some needed offensive momentum.

Both Omot and WSU’s Jhei-R Jones heated up and hit back-to-back 3-pointers off one another moments later to bring SMSU’s deficit to 49-37 with 10 minutes left.

SMSU applied a full-court press throughout the second half in an attempt to throw WSU off and gain extra offensive possessions.

The Mustangs finished with eight turnovers to the Warriors’ 11, but were also hurt with paint points. WSU had 34 points in the paint to SMSU’s 22.

Kramer had a game-high 17 points on 6 of 11 shooting, while Omot followed with 12 going 4 of 5 from the arc. Braaten finished with 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds and four assists.

Thompson led WSU with a 15-point, 13-rebound double-double, and Drew had a team-high 17 points.

SMSU finished the day shooting 39% from the field and went 9 of 26 from the 3-point line, to the Warriors 42% outing and went 7 of 20 at the perimeter.

This was the second straight year SMSU earned a bid into the NCAA tournament, and seventh overall appearance in program history. Winona State reached the tournament for the first time since 2014.

Saturday was also the fourth time the Mustangs and WSU met this season, and SMSU was seeking revenge as the Warriors took the previous two meetings, including a 71-60 defeat to eliminate SMSU from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference [NSIC] tournament on March 1.

WSU opened the game up with a 10-2 run. Thompson sank a 3-pointer to start the scoring, which SMSU’s Stevens responded with a layup off a Braaten assist. Yet, WSU’s Jones hit another 3, along with a Thompson layup and Drew putback off an offensive rebound to extend its opening run.

SMSU head coach Brad Bigler called a timeout, and the Mustangs came back with four unanswered points with another Stevens layup and Pokorski steal and floating jumpshot down the middle of the lane to cut into a 10-6 deficit. But, WSU hit another from the arc to try and halt any SMSU momentum.

The Warriors extended their lead to 20-8 behind another pair of 3-pointers from Mikail Harmison and Nick Taylor, and a fast break layup for Tyler Mason off a Harmison steal midway through the first half. WSU continued to take advantage of the boards and ran to a 34-21 halftime lead.

SMSU finishes its season 21-9 overall, an improvement from its 19-13 record last year.

Omot graduates from the program as the team’s lone senior. He was the Mustangs’ leading 3-point shooter this season, averaging two makes a game on 5.8 attempts.