St. Cloud State
Harding University
Huskies score 102-72 win over Harding
11/13/2021 7:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball
St. Cloud State goes 2-0 at GAC/NSIC Crossover
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The St. Cloud State University men's basketball team is undefeated to start the season. The Huskies improved to 2-0 on the season thanks to a 102-72 win over Harding on the second day of the GAC/NSIC Crossover Tournament. Matthew Willert (Buffalo, Minn. / Buffalo) led St. Cloud State in scoring with 18 points as five different Huskies scored in double-digits. Anthony Roberts (Chicago, Ill. / Oak Park) closed the weekend with a 16 point, 12 rebound performance.
GAME SUMMARY
St. Cloud State once again entered halftime with a significant lead, as strong play from Roberts resulted in a 49-38 first half lead for the Huskies. Roberts tallied a team and game-leading 12 points in the first 20 minutes of play, shooting 5-10 from the floor, including a 2-2 mark from the free throw line. The team in general also shot well in the first half, as St. Cloud State put up 49 points on 16-26 (.615) shooting, with multiple student-athletes shooting .500 or better from the floor.
The second half proved to be another test for the Huskies defense, as the Bison threatened by scoring eight consecutive points in the opening three minutes, cutting the lead to 52-47. St. Cloud State's defensive tenacity and timely shooting, though, proved to be too much for Harding. Once the Huskies got hot from three point range, they could not be stopped, jumping ahead 61-51 before winning the game by a final score of 102-72.
TOP HUSKIES
- Willert was dominant for the Huskies, as he scored a team-leading 18 points off the bench thanks to 5-7 shooting, including a 4-6 mark from three-point range.
- Four other St. Cloud State student-athletes scored in double-digits Saturday afternoon. Josh Tomasi (Melbourne Australia / Box Hill) closed the game with 17 points and nine rebounds, while Roberts recorded a double-double thanks to his 16 point, 12 rebound performance. Ryan Bagley (Pocatello, Idaho / Burley) finished the game with 15 points, eight assists and five rebounds, while Caleb Donaldson (Bloomington, Ill. / Bloomington) added 11 points.
- Daniel Geistler (Norwalk, Iowa / Norwalk) scored a career-high nine points thanks to perfect 3-3 shooting from beyond the arc.
FROM DOWNTOWN!
The Huskies three-point shooting woes were vanquished Saturday afternoon. The team was 13-23 from beyond the arc in the win over Harding, including a 10-15 mark in the second quarter. It's the highest three-point shooting performance for St. Cloud State since the 2019-20 season.
EVERYBODY GETS A BASKET
Ten different Huskies scored at least one basket Saturday afternoon with seven student-athletes scoring nine points or more. In addition to St. Cloud State's big five, Joe Mutimer (Melbourne, Australia / Blackburn South) and Geistler both scored nine points a piece, while Luke Taylor (Germantown, Wis. / Germantown), Sam Rex (San Diego, Calif. / Rancho Bernardo) and Cameron Alexander (Hazelhurst, Mississippi / Hazelhurst) scored one basket for the Huskies.
UP NEXT
St. Cloud State will continue its homestand next week, as the Huskies host Clarke College at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 16.
