St. Cloud State
13-5 (8-4NSIC)
Minnesota State University - Mankato
12-6 (8-4NSIC)
Huskies avenge early season loss with OT win over MSU
1/19/2019 11:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MANKATO, MINN. – The St. Cloud State University men's basketball team has lost just five games this 2018-19 season. Saturday afternoon, the Huskies had a chance to avenge their first loss of the season, which came at the hands of the Minnesota State University Mavericks. It took a little extra time, but St. Cloud State prevailed for a 77-74 overtime win against Minnesota State, improving to 13-5 and 8-4 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) play.
The Huskies rallied from a six-point deficit to hold a 39-36 lead at the half. Jace Kitchen (Dekalb, Ill. / Dekalb), Gage Davis (Bolingbrook, Ill. / Bolingbrook) and Diamond Onwuka (Bacelona, Spain / Howard College) played a big role in St. Cloud State's come back, as they scored a combined 27 of the team's 39 first half points. Kitchen came up clutch multiple times for the Huskies, as he tied the game at 26-26 midway through the first half then gave the team their 39-36 halftime lead with a buzzer beater three.
St. Cloud State lead by as many as 10 points in the second half. However, a scoring drought allowed Minnesota State to cut the lead to 61-59 with 7:07 remaining in regulation. Davis, though, scored six consecutive points for the Huskies and hit six of seven free throws, giving the Huskies a 68-65 lead with three minutes remaining in regulation.
St. Cloud State continued to maintain its lead, holding steady at 71-69 with under a minute left in regulation. However, with under 10 seconds, Minnesota State tied it on a jumper by Kevin Krieger, putting the ball in the Huskies hands with three seconds left in the ball game. While Adam Heede-Andersen's (Copenhagen, Denmark / Stenhus Gymnasium) rimmed out at the last second, St. Cloud State still had the chance to win the game in overtime. After five intensely defensive minutes, the Huskies left Mankato, Minnesota victorious, as free throws by Davis and Sean Smith (Seville, Spain / Canarias Basketball Academy) clinched the 77-74 overtime victory for St. Cloud State.
Davis was the team's leading scorer, as he tallied 28 points for the second time against the Mavericks this season. Smith was the team's leading rebounder, as he recorded his second straight double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
With the win, the Huskies overall record improves to 13-5 and they have a 8-4 mark in NSIC play. St. Cloud State will return to action on Friday, January 25 when it hosts the NSIC-leading Northern State Wolves at 7:30 p.m. in Halenbeck Hall.
