Huskies drop heartbreaker in final seconds

Saturday, November 9

Searcy, AR

7:00 p.m.

St. Cloud State

0-2,0-0NSIC

Harding University

1-1,0-0GAC

St. Cloud St.

Harding

11/9/2019 10:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

SEARCY, ARKANSAS – The St. Cloud State University men's basketball team was within seconds of earning its first win of 2019-20 Saturday evening. Sadly, a win wasn't in the cards for the Huskies. Despite strong offensive and even better defensive play, St. Cloud State dropped its second game of the season, falling to Harding University 61-60 at the Big Red Stores Classic in Searcy, Arkansas.

The Huskies held a 32-31 lead over the Bison after the first half of play thanks to some impressive shooting from the floor. As a team, St. Cloud State shot .500 from the floor in the opening half, as the Huskies were 13-26 from the floor. Andrija Blatancic (Bergen, Norway / Academy of Arts) led the way scoring wise for St. Cloud State in the opening half, as he accounted for nine of the team's first half points after shooting 4-5 from the floor with a 1-3 mark from the charity stripe.

While the Huskies were hot offensively, they were also stellar on the defensive side of the ball, as they held the host Bison to 10-25 shooting and only allowed one Harding player to score in double-digits. Those good times kept rolling to start the second half, as St. Cloud State opened with a seven point run to boost its lead to 38-31.

The Huskies offense continued to roll through the first 10 minutes of the half, as they jumped out to a 48-38 lead on a layup-and-one by Blatancic. Though the Bison managed to whittle the lead to five, St. Cloud State had the perfect answer, as the team went on another impressive scoring run, boosting its lead to 54-45.

That was when things started to unravel. It started with two free throws with 6:35 remaining in the half before a turnover by Ilya Tyrtyshnik (Kyiv, Urkaine, Kyive Specalized School #49) allowed Harding to cut the lead to 54-50 with five minutes remaining in regulation.

Still, the Bison were never able to catch the Huskies, as they always managed to hold at least a one-point lead over the host. It wasn't until the very last second that Harding managed to regain control of the game. Down 60-59 with 10 seconds remaining in regulation, Romio Harvey drained two free throws to put the Bison's ahead 61-60. The Huskies, though, had one last chance to win the game, as Trevon Marshall (Evanston, Ill. / Evanston) drove down the lane and heaved up a last second layup. The shot just missed, resulting in the 61-60 loss for St. Cloud State.

Blatancic was the top scorer for the Huskies, as he tallied a season high 20 points and 10 rebounds in just his second game with St. Cloud State. Anthony Roberts (Chicago, Ill. / Oak Park) concluded the game with 10 points, while Diamond Onwuka (Barcelona, Spain / Canarias Basketball Academy) pulled in nine rebounds.

With the loss, St. Cloud State's overall record now stands at 0-2. The Huskies will look for their first win of the season at home next Tuesday, as they host Oak Hills Christian College at 7 p.m. in Halenbeck Hall.