Men’s Basketball Begins NSIC League Play With 98-78 Victory Over Minnesota Crookston

Friday, December 2

St. Cloud, Minn.

8 p.m.

St. Cloud State

4-5, 1-0NSIC

University of Minnesota, Crookston

3-3, 0-1NSIC

Minnesota Crookston

St. Cloud St.

Andy Foley

Photo by: Brad Olson

Men’s Basketball Begins NSIC League Play With 98-78 Victory Over Minnesota Crookston

12/2/2016 11:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Behind 27 points and 12 rebounds from redshirt sophomore Gage Davis, the St. Cloud State men's basketball team (4-5, 1-0 NSIC) opened NSIC play with a resounding 98-78 victory over Minnesota Crookston (3-3, 0-1 NSIC) on Friday night, Dec. 2, at Halenbeck Hall.

The double-double from Davis was his third of the season and his second in the last three games. He shot 10-for-21 from the field, knocked down a pair of threes and hit 5-for-7 free throws. He also led the team with eight assists plus had a block and a steal. He was one of six SCSU players to reach double figures. Senior Scottie Stone scored all 17 of his points in the last 11:21 of the second half when he hit five three-pointers. Junior Andy Foley picked up 12 points, four rebounds, three steals and three assists. Redshirt sophomore Kurt Hall nearly had his second straight double-double off the bench with 11 points and nine rebounds. Senior Mark Hall tallied 10 points. Junior Jon Averkamp scored 10 points along with four rebounds and three assists. Sophomore Adam Heede-Andersen contributed on both the offensive and defensive end with six assists and four steals, while also covering the leading scorer in the conference for most of the second half.

The Golden Eagles put three players in double figures and were led by Harrison Cleary's 24 points on 12-for-12 shooting from the free throw line. Cleary came into the game leading the NSIC in scoring and went above his season average of 21.6 points per game. Kobe Critchley tallied 12 points. Chase Knickerbocker also scored 12 points. Gable Smith had eight points and seven rebounds.

The Huskies ended up shooting 53.3 percent for the game (40-for-75) including a blistering 58.5 percent in the second half. The program, after slow start from three-point range in the first half (1-for-6), hit 10 of 14 threes in the second to shoot 55 percent from beyond the arc for the contest (11-for-20). SCSU also held the edge on the boards by a 37 to 23 margin. The Golden Eagles were able to keep the game close and for nearly the first 10 minutes of the second half by hitting 29-of-32 free throws.

The game featured nine tied scores and six lead changes. SCSU held a slight 36-35 lead at the half and trailed in the second half by as much as nine points, 64-55, before roaring back and outscoring UMC 43 to 14 over the last 11:21 of the game. Stone scored all 17 of his points for the game in that stretch. The SCSU program knocked down seven from distance in that period of time with Stone doing the heavy lifting with five made threes. The team scored a season-high for any half this season with 62 points in the second half.

Next, the Huskies continues NSIC play and welcomes in Bemidji State (3-3, 1-0 NSIC) on Saturday evening, Dec. 3, at 6 p.m.

Notes
- Gage Davis' 27 points was a season-high for any SCSU player this season.
- His 27 points mark his eighth straight game and 21st game overall the last two seasons leading the team in scoring.
- The double-double was Davis' third of the season and 13th over the last two seasons.
- Over the last five games, Davis is shooting 43-for-71 from the field (60.5 percent) and 10-for-19 from three-point range (52.6 percent)
- Scottie Stone's 17 points were his most points since he scored 22 against Pittsburg State (11/12).
- He now scored in double figures in eight of the nine games this season and in 24 of his last 25 games overall.
- Kurt Hall's 11 points marked his second straight double digit performance.
- Jon Averkamp has scored in double figures in four of his last five games with his 10 points against the Golden Eagles.
- Andy Foley's 12 points put him in double figures in two of his last three games.
- Redshirt freshman Jake Mussman scored the first points of his career with a made shot in the final 20 seconds of the game.
- The Huskies have shot 50 percent of better from the field in four of the last five games (all wins when reaching 50 percent shooting).
- The 62 points in the second half equal the amount of points the team scored in the entire game against Minnesota State (11/26)