St. Cloud State
5-5,3-3NSIC
Concordia University, St. Paul
1-7,0-4NSIC
Men's basketball earns weekend sweep with 77-73 win over CSP
1/31/2021 3:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ST. PAUL, MINN. - It was a pretty sweep Sunday for the St. Cloud State University men's basketball team. The Huskies showed just how multifaceted they can be, as they defeated Concordia-St. Paul for the second time this weekend 77-73 to earn their first sweep of the 2020-21 season.
"I thought we were much better defensively today than we were yesterday," head coach Matt Reimer said on WJON Granite City 1390 in a postgame interview. "Our defense won us this game today, which as a coach is nice to see us find different ways to win."
As Reimer indicated, St. Cloud State's defense was much improved Sunday afternoon. After surrendering 85 points to the Golden Bears Saturday, the Huskies defense held Concordia-St. Paul to just 73 total points and forced 12 turnovers. Additionally, St. Cloud State led the Golden Bears in nearly every statistical category, including rebounds (40-31), assists (18-17), and, most importantly, points (77-73).
It took both teams a while to get going offensively, as the Huskies slugged their way to a 38-36 halftime lead over Concordia-St. Paul. The second half box score looked nearly identical as the first half, and the action was just as high flying and intense. St. Cloud State's offense was on fire the opening nine minutes, as the Huskies cruised to a 61-50 lead with 11:11 remaining in regulation. It was though the Golden Bears made a wish at that very moment, though, as they slowly but surely whittled St. Cloud State's lead to 71-67 with two minutes left in the game.
A handful of timely rebounds and layups helped the Huskies clinch victory. With 1:16 on the clock, freshman Matthew Willert (Buffalo, Minn. / Buffalo) hit a clutch layup, extending St. Cloud State's lead to 73-69. Then, after Concordia-St. Paul cut the lead to 73-71 with two free throws, a Ryan Bagley (Pocatello, Idaho / Burley) jumper extended the lead to 75-71 with 28 seconds left in regulation.
Still, the pesky Golden Bears would not go away, as they again converted two free throws to pull within two with under 16 seconds on the clock. When Caleb Donaldson (Bloomington, Ill. / Bloomington) missed two free throws on the Huskies next offensive possession, it seemed like the final 10 seconds were about to be the most exciting of the game. They were, for St. Cloud State fans, as Anthony Roberts (Chicago, Ill. / Oak Park) flew out of nowhere to pull in a huge offensive rebound, allowing Bagley to clinch the game 77-73 with two free throws.
"It is really hard to win. To sweep is even harder, and to sweep on the road is the hardest," commented Reimer. "This win will have a lot of say in what happens regarding our playoff chances for the NSIC tournament."
Roberts was once again the Huskies top offensive threat, as he scored 27 points and added nine rebounds, three steals and a block. Donaldson and Josh Tomasi (Melbourne, Australia / Western Colorado) both scored in double-digits, added 13 and 11 points respectively, while Bagley once again impressed in the stat sheet. Though he didn't score many points, the junior point guard tallied nine rebounds and 10 assists, bringing his weekend assist total to 19.
With the win, St. Cloud State's overall record improves to 5-5, as these games don't count towards the team's Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) North Division record. The Huskies will resume conference play next weekend, when they host the Bemidji State University Beavers Friday, February 5. Tip off is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Halenebeck Hall.
