Huskies return home to host Minot State, Mary

Friday, January 11

St. Cloud, Minn.

7:30 p.m.

St. Cloud State

Minot State University

Photo by: Kylie Macziewski

1/10/2019 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball

ST. CLOUD, MINN. – It has been 27 days since the St. Cloud State University men's basketball team last played in the comforts of its own home gymnasium. The wait, though, is finally over for the Huskies. After a series of conference road games, St. Cloud State returns home this upcoming weekend to host Minot State University and the University of Mary in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) play.

The Huskies return home after playing in three consecutive road games to start the new year, traveling to Duluth, Crookston and Bemidji, Minnesota before landing back in the city of St. Cloud. Of course, the last time St. Cloud State was home, the team had an extremely successful weekend as it defeated Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls by 10+ points. In fact, the Huskies had one of their best offensive and defensive weekends of the season, as they scored an average of 81.5 points per game that weekend while holding their opponents to 66.5 points per game.

St. Cloud State will open the weekend on Friday, when the team hosts Minot State at 7:30 p.m. before facing Mary at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Fans who cannot attend the game in person can follow the Huskies via live stats, video and WJON's live radio broadcast. 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 weekend's showdown:

1542 – With his 42 point performance against Bemidji State, St. Cloud State senior guard Gage Davis (Bolingbrook, Ill. / Bolingbrook) surpassed Augustana's Daniel Jansen to become the NSIC's all-time leading scorer. Davis has scored 1542 points in just 71 conference games, averaging an impressive 21.7 points per game vs. NSIC foes, while Jansen, the conference's previous record-holder, scored 1521 points in 88 games with the Vikings. Also of note, Davis moved up to No. 5 all-time in career rebounds with 616 total versus NSIC opponents.

32 – While he just broke the NSIC scoring record, Davis is just 32 points away from becoming the all-time leading scorer in St. Cloud State basketball history. Dan Hagen currently holds one of the longest standing records in program history, as he scored 2136 points in his Husky career from 1977-81. Earlier this season, Davis passed David Dreas, who was No. 2 all-time with 1802 points in his career with St. Cloud State, and became just the second Husky to score 2000 points in his career back in December.

76 – The Huskies already played both the Beavers and Marauders earlier this season, as they traveled to North Dakota in early December to earn two hard-fought NSIC wins. St. Cloud State opened the weekend with a resounding 76-64 victory over Mary before closing with a 76-69 win over Minot State. Davis averaged 26.5 points per game that weekend, leading the Huskies with 25 points in the win over Mary and 28 in the win over Minot State, while Brindley Theisen (St. Cloud, Minn. / St. Cloud Cathedral) and Sean Smith (Seville, Spain / Canarias Basketball Academy) each scored in the teens in both games that weekend.

18.3/8.2 – St. Cloud State is going to have to find a way to stop Minot State's big man David Akibo. In the first meeting between these two teams, Akibo led the Beavers in scoring and rebounding, as he tallied 24 points and 10 rebounds in the loss to the Huskies. He also ranks in the top-10 in the NSIC in both categories, as he currently averaged 18.3 (No. 9) points and 8.2 (No. 7) per game this season.

67.1 – St. Cloud State enters the weekend after a highly offensive Saturday in which the team scored 107 points in a double overtime win over Bemidji State. The Huskies will need to generate the same offensive power on Saturday when the take on the No. 3 scoring defense in the NSIC this season. While the Marauders are averaging just 68.7 points per game on offense, they are surrendering just 67.1 points on defense, which ranks third in the conference behind Wayne State and Northern State. Mary also currently ranks sixth in the NSIC in turnover margin (1.71) and fourth in steals per game average (6.71).

Bonus number:

40/42 – Davis wasn't the only Husky to score 40+ points against the Beavers. Women's sophomore guard Tori Wortz (Hutchinson, Minn. / Hutchinson) scored 40 points in the women's 74-56 victory over Bemidji State, accounting for 54 percent of her team's offense. The duo become the first women's and men's basketball player in St. Cloud State history to score 40+ points on the same day and the first to do so in NSIC, according to available records.

Another bonus number:

8 - The St. Cloud State men's basketball team now holds eight NSIC records, two of which are held by Davis. The senior now holds the NSIC record for all-time conference points (1542) and for conference points scored in a single season (544 - 2016-17). Other Husky record holders are Izzy Schmiesing (points scored in a single game - 56), Scottie Stone (three-point field goals made in a single season - 77), Taylor Witt (points scored in an NSIC tournament game - 39) and Shaun Jensen (field goal attempts in an NSIC tournament game - 26). The team itself holds the NSIC record for single season field goal attempts vs. NSIC opponents (1436 - 2016-17) and fewest points allowed in conference play (691 - 1968-69).