Men's basketball to host Crown in home opener

ST. CLOUD, MINN. – After nearly 266 days away, the St. Cloud State University men's basketball team is finally coming home.

That's right. St. Cloud State has played six consecutive games on the road, dating back to its Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) and NCAA Tournament runs last season. Now, after approximately 166 days away, the Huskies will host Crown College in their home opener at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 13.

No. 16/18 St. Cloud State could not have asked for a better start to the season, as it went 2-0 at the highly competitive MIAA/NSIC Challenge last weekend. The Huskies upended No. 24/25 Missouri Southern State University 89-77 to open the season before defeating Lindenwood by a final score of 83-75.

Live stats, video and WJON's live radio broadcast will be available for fans who cannot attend the game in person. Score updates can also be found on St. Cloud State men's basketball official Twitter page (@SCSUmensbball).

Here are the five things to know before this evening's matchup:

2^nd – This will be the second meeting between Crown College and St. Cloud State. The first occurred in 2015-16, when the Huskies defeated the Storm 106-49 on December 30. Then freshman Gage Davis (Bolingbrook, Ill. / Bolingbrook) was St. Cloud State's leading scorer, tallying 21 points on .642 shooting, seven rebounds, one block and five steals in the victory.

5 – Crown was picked to finished fifth in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) preseason poll. The 16-team athletic department is a Division III affiliate and primarily competes with teams from its own conference and the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). So far this season, the Storm hold an overall record of 1-1 as they opened the season with a 91-85 win over Hamline University.

86 – The Huskies had quite the opening weekend, as they averaged 86 points per game in their wins over Missouri Southern and Lindenwood. More impressive may be the team's scoring margin, as St. Cloud State beat two regionally ranked opponents by an average of 10 points as outscored teams 85-57 in the opening 20 minutes of play over the weekend.

48 – Seniors Davis and Sean Smith (Athens, Ga. / Canarias Basketball Academy) scored 48 of the Huskies 172 points scored over the weekend and tallied a combined 24 rebounds with 11 blocks in two games. Smith was the team's leading scorer and rebounder in the win over the No. 24/25 Lions on Friday with 24 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks. Davis put together nearly identical numbers on Saturday, tallying 24 points and 12 rebounds in the 83-75 victory over Lindenwood.

5 – Five student-athletes from St. Cloud State scored in double-digits over the weekend, including Davis, Smith, Trevon Marshall (Evanston, Ill. / Evanston), Brindley Theisen (St. Cloud, Minn. / St. Cloud Cathedral) and Jace Kitchen (Dekalb, Ill. / Dekalb). Davis led the way, scoring a combined 39 points thanks to his 24 and 15 point performances over the weekend, while Smith added a combined 37 points with 24 and 13. Marshall impressed with back-to-back 16 point games, while Theisen scored 17 against Lindenwood and Kitchen provided a spark off the bench with 13 points against Missouri Southern.

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Players Mentioned

Gage Davis

Jace Kitchen

Trevon Marshall

Sean Smith

Brindley Theisen

Saint Cloud State University Athletics