Comeback comes up short in Huskies 74-63 loss

Friday, February 14

St. Cloud, Minn.

7:30 p.m.

St. Cloud State

13-12,10-9NSIC

Minnesota State University Moorhead

16-9,12-7NSIC

MSU Moorhead

St. Cloud St.

Anthony Roberts tallied another double-double in the Huskies loss to MSU-Moorhead.

Photo by: Kylie Macziewski

2/14/2020 9:55:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

ST. CLOUD, MINN. – The St. Cloud State University men's basketball team has played in many close games throughout the 2019-20 season. Friday night's Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) contest against Minnesota State University-Moorhead was no different. The Huskies were looking to avenge an early season loss to the Dragons, but unfortunately came up short. Though St. Cloud State rallied late in the second half, it wasn't enough to overcome MSU-Moorhead's lead, as the team fell by a final score of 74-63.

The Huskies had some work to do after the opening half, as they entered the locker room trailing the Dragons 34-28. Trevon Marshall (Evanston, Ill. / Evanston) provided the bulk of St. Cloud State's first half offense, as he tallied 11 first half points while Anthony Roberts (Chicago, Ill. / Oak Park) led the team with five rebounds. Despite the six point deficit, St. Cloud State actually hung with MSU-Moorhead for the majority of the first half, even closing the scoring gap to one at 29-28 on a three-pointer by Marshall. Alas, the Dragons closed the first half on a six-point scoring run, allowing them to hold the 34-28 advantage.

The Huskies managed to stay within six of MSU-Moorhead in the opening minutes of the second quarter, but free throws and three-point shots eventually allowed the Dragons to extend their lead well into the double-digits. With three minutes left, St. Cloud State made its move, seemingly setting up the comeback of a lifetime. It started with Roberts' layup-and-one, pulling the Huskies within five at 59-54 with 3:28 remaining in regulation. Then, on MSU-Moorhead's next inbound, Marshall intercepted the inbound pass and scored on a layup under the basket, cutting the Dragons lead to 59-56.

Unfortunately, that was as close as St. Cloud State would come to catching MSU-Moorhead, as the team was forced to foul in the closing seconds and eventually fell by the final score of 74-63. Marshall concluded the game as the team's leading scorer with 22 points, while Roberts tallied yet another double-double, leading the way with 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Huskies.

With the loss, St. Cloud State's overall record now stands at 13-12 and the team is 10-9 in NSIC play. The Huskies will look to right the ship on Saturday, February 15 when they host Northern State at 5:30 p.m. in Halenbeck Hall.