Huskies run away with 85-70 victory over Winona State

Saturday, February 2

St. Cloud, Minn.

5:30 p.m.

St. Cloud State

16-6, 11-5NSIC

Winona State University

10-12, 7-9NSIC

Winona State

St. Cloud State

Gage Davis recorded his fifth 30+ point performance this semester in the Huskies win over Winona State.

Photo by: Kelsey Whaley

2/2/2019 7:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

ST. CLOUD, MINN. – The St. Cloud State University men's basketball team completed its sweep over Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) foes this weekend, once again in dominating fashion. After earning a thrilling double-digit win over Upper Iowa Friday evening, St. Cloud State was just as impressive in its win over Winona State University, running away with an impressive 85-70 win over the visitors.

The game was far closer than the final score indicated in the first half, as the Huskies and Warriors battled to a 34-34 draw after the opening 20 minutes of play. Two of St. Cloud State's seniors accounted for 20 of the team's first half points. Gage Davis (Bolingbrook, Ill. / Bolingbrook) scored 12 in the opening 20 minutes of play, including a buzzer-beater jumper to tie the game at 34, while Brindley Theisen (St. Cloud, Minn. / St. Cloud Cathedral) added eight.

It was the second half when the Huskies offense truly came to light, as they opened the final 20 minutes with a 6-0 scoring run to jump ahead of Winona State 40-34. In fact, through the first five minutes of the second half, St. Cloud State outscored the Warriors 17-6, taking a 51-41 advantage with 14:49 remaining in the game. Winona State went on an eight point scoring run of its own, though, whittling the lead to 53-51 with 11:14 left on the clock.

Davis and Theisen went to work regaining a comfortable lead for the Huskies, as they themselves scored seven consecutive points to five their team a 60-53 advantage over the Warriors. Diamond Onwuka (Barcelona, Spain / Howard College) drained a three from the corner, giving St. Cloud State a 10-point lead it would never relinquish. In the closing minutes, the Huskies defense contained Winona State while offense continued to put on a scoring clinic, eventually resulting in the 85-70 win.

Davis was the team's leading scorer on the night, as he racked up 31 points in 37 minutes of play while adding six rebounds and five assists. Theisen ended the night with 25 points on 9-12 shooting, including a 7-9 mark from beyond the arc, while Sean Smith (Seville, Spain / Canarias Basketball Academy) led the way with nine rebounds, seven assists and an impressive six steals for St. Cloud State.

With the win, the Huskies overall record improves to 16-6 and they are now 11-5 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) play. St. Cloud State will next play on Friday 8, when the team hits the road to take on Wayne State College at 7:30 p.m. in Nebraska.