Clayton Vette scored 25 points to lead Winona State over Minnesota State Mankato 76-73 in overtime Tuesday night on the Mavericks' home court in the NCAA Division II Central Region championship game.

Grant Johnson, who had 11 points, made a basket with 23 seconds left to put the Warriors ahead 74-73. Assem Marei led the Mavericks (28-5) with 21 points.

The Warriors (27-7) will play in next week's Elite Eight tournament in Louisville, Ky.

Time set for U women's NIT game Friday

The Women's NIT announced Tuesday that the opening-round game between the Gophers (18-13) and Ball State (15-15) will be at 7 p.m. Friday at Williams Arena.

Tickets, available at mygophersports.com, will be $13 for chair-back seats, $9 for bench seats and $5 for groups of 10 or more.

Hamline hires men's basketball coach

Hamline named alumnus Jim Hayes its head coach for men's basketball team. Hayes was an all-MIAC player for the Pipers and the team captain for two seasons, including his senior year in 1993-94. He also was a Hamline assistant coach for 10 seasons and more recently, was on the Carleton and St. Thomas coaching staffs.

"Jim knows Hamline and the MIAC as well as anybody," Hamline Athletic Director Jason Verdugo said. "His talents as a player and as a coach are outstanding."

Hayes replaces Nelson Whitmore, who left the program last month. He was suspended earlier after one of his players was accused of assaulting a woman while on a team trip to Washington.

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