Huskies offense unleashed in 72-60 victory over SMSU

Friday, December 14

St. Cloud, Minn.

5:30 p.m.

St. Cloud State

5-3, 2-2NSIC

Southwest Minnesota State University

4-5, 1-3NSIC

Southwest Minn. St.

St. Cloud State

Nikki Kilboten wins the jump ball to set the tone against Southwest Minnesota State.

Photo by: Kylie Macziewski

12/14/2018 10:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

ST. CLOUD, MINN. – It has been no secret that the St. Cloud State women's basketball team has one of the stingiest defenses in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) this season. The Huskies are holding opponents to a low average of 58.4 points per game in conference play and are the fourth ranked defense in the country. However, St. Cloud State's offense has struggled as of late, scoring just 58.8 points per game against NSIC opponents.

That all changed Friday evening. After earning their first NSIC win of the season last week, the Huskies earned their second straight conference win in dominating fashion, as their offense came to life in a thrilling 72-60 victory over Southwest Minnesota State University.

St. Cloud State knew it was going to be a fast paced, high energy game, as Southwest Minnesota State led the conference in attempted three's entering Friday evening's game. In fact, two Mustang guards attempted over 30 shots from beyond the arc entering the game and weren't afraid to jack up a three whenever the opportunity arose. However, the Huskies staid with Southwest Minnesota State in the first half, trailing 21-19 after the opening quarter before taking a 41-40 lead into the half. To no one's surprise, it was junior guard Madelin Dammann (Waconia, Minn. / Waconia) who led the charge for the Huskies, as she scored 10 of her team-leading 19 points in the first half on 4-of-7 shooting with two rebounds, two assists and two steals.

However, there was a slight tension in the air for Husky fans at the start of the second half, as memories of scoring droughts entered fans minds. In fact, St. Cloud State's worst shooting quarters this season are the second and third, as the team has been held to just 230 points in those two quarters. However, the Huskies scored a season-high 22 points in the second to take the 41-40 lead to halftime then came out and scored 22 again in the third, scoring a season-high 63 points after 30 minutes of play against an NSIC opponent.

St. Cloud State's defense was also on point, as it held the Mustangs to just seven points in the third quarter and held a 63-47 lead with 10 minutes remaining in regulation. The Huskies didn't let up in the fourth, as Nikki Kilboten (Eau Claire, Wis. / North) and Mallie Doucette (Colfax, Wis. / Colfax) scored in double-digits in the second half, guiding St. Cloud State to its 72-60 victory over Southwest Minnesota State.

Dammann was the team's top scorer for the second consecutive game, tallying a season-high 20 points with eight rebounds in the victory. Kilboten scored the first double-double of her career with 15 points, 13 of which were scored in the second half, and a team-leading, career-high 14 rebounds in the game. Additionally, Doucette scored in double-digits, adding 10 points in the victory.

With the win, the Huskies overall record improved to 5-3, and they are now 2-2 in NSIC play. St. Cloud State will return to action in its final home game of the first semester when it hosts Sioux Falls University at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 15.