Men's basketball hangs on for 83-75 win over Lindenwood

Saturday, November 10

Mankato, Minn.

1 p.m.

St. Cloud State

2-0

Lindenwood

2-3

Lindenwood

St. Cloud State

Gage Davis recorded his first double-double of the season with 24 points and 12 rebounds.

Photo by: Paul Middlestaedt

11/10/2018 4:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

MANKATO, MINN. – It wasn't necessarily the prettiest win the St. Cloud State University men's basketball team will earn during the 2018-19 season, but it was a win nonetheless. On the second day of the MIAA/NSIC Challenge in Mankato, Minnesota, the No. 16/18 Huskeis were looking to cruise to an easy victory over Lindenwood University of St. Charles, Missouri.

An easy victory is certainly not what they got. St. Cloud State fought tooth and nail down the stretch but managed to hang on for a 83-75 victory over Lindenwood, starting the season with a perfect 2-0 record for the first time since 2014-15.

Every facet of the game was firing on all cylinders for the Huskies in the first half of the game, as they cruised to an early 46-26 lead after the first 20 minutes of play. Seniors Gage Davis (Bolingbrook, Ill. / Bolingbrook) and Brindley Theisen (St. Cloud, Minn. / Cathedral) were unstoppable forces on offense, as they scored a combined 28 points in the opening half of play. Davis led the way, scoring 17 of his team-leading 24 points in the first half, while Theisen added 11 in the opening 20 minutes of play.

In addition to its strong offensive game, St. Cloud State's defense was particularly stingy, as it held Lindenwood to .323 shoot from the floor and a low .273 percent shooting from the three-point line, holding the Lions to just 26 points in the opening half of play. In fact, Lindenwood shot under 50% from the floor in regulation and just 22.7% from three-point range in the game while committing 10 turnovers and recorded just one steal during the game.

However, things certainly got interesting for the Huskies in the second half of play. Five minutes into the half, St. Cloud State held a comfortable 61-37 lead, fueled by its high potent offense and stingy defense. In fact, at 11:30 in the half, the Huskies held their biggest lead of the afternoon, as a three-pointer by Theisen extended the lead to an impressive 26-point margin at 66-40. Over the remaining 9:30 though, St. Cloud State slowly started to watch its lead slip away, as Lindenwood continued to chip and whittle until the Lions found themselves within 10 points with three minutes remaining in the game. Yes, with 3:47 remaining in regulation, Lindenwood trailed the Huskies 77-67 and seemed to have the momentum swinging to its side.

Davis extended St. Cloud State's lead back to 12 points by draining two free throws, but the pesky Lions would not go away, cutting the lead to 77-69 at 2:48. However, Lindenwood was forced to rely on fouls to regain possession in the final two minutes, and the Huskies were just too good from the charity strip, making a clutch five of eight free throws in the final minute to secure the 83-75 victory over the Lions.

Davis was the team's leading scorer and rebounder Saturday afternoon, recording his first double-double of the season with an impressive 24 points and 12 rebounds against Lindenwood. Theisen ended the game with 17 points, while Trevon Marshall (Evanston, Ill. / Evanston Township) continued his strong start to the 2018-19 season with 16 points and five rebounds. Senior Sean Smith (Athens, Ga. / Canarias Basketball Academy) was the final Husky in double-digits, scoring 13 points against the Lions.

With the win, the No. 16/18 Huskies improve to 2-0 overall and are still 0-0 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) play. St. Cloud State will return to action on Tuesday when it hosts Crown College in its first home game of the 2018-19 season. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m. in St. Cloud, Minnesota.