St. Cloud State
University of Minnesota Crookston
Men's basketball travel to face Golden Eagles
2/10/2021 3:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ST. CLOUD, MINN. - The St. Cloud State University men's basketball game hit a smidge of a speed bump in last weekend's Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) series against Bemidji State. This weekend, the Huskies are looking to get back on the winning track, as they hit the road to face the University of Minnesota-Crookston at 5:30 p.m. Friday and 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
The Beavers dealt St. Cloud State its first weekend sweep since January 22 and 23, as the Huskies fell 88-78 on Friday and 87-67 on Saturday. The losses dropped St. Cloud State out of the top-4 in the NSIC North Division, making the games against the Golden Eagles crucial if the Huskies want to make the NSIC Tournament at the end of the month.
Friday's game is slated to start at 5:30 p.m., while Saturday's tipoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. At this time, family members of players will be allowed at Minnesota-Crookston at a limit of two people per player. All tickets will be free and fans should arrive no sooner than 30 minutes before tip off. No walk up admissions will be allowed.
Live stats and video will be available for fans who cannot attend the games in person, and score updates can be found on the team's official twitter account (@scsuhuskies_mbb).
Here are the five things to know before this weekend's series at Minnesota-Crookston:
27 - It has been hard for opponents to leave Crookston, Minnesota with wins in recent years. In 2018-19, the Golden Eagles set a school record for single-season wins thanks to their 13-2 record at home. In the last three seasons, Minn.-Crookston has won 27 games in Lysaker Gymnasium, the most for the team in a three-year time span. In fact, St. Cloud State is just 4-4 in its last eight games in Crookston, Minnesota but are 8-0 when facing the Golden Eagles in Halenbeck Hall.
20.0 / 18.5 - Anthony Roberts (Chicago, Ill. / Oak Park) and Caleb Donaldson (Bloomington, Ill. / Bloomington) continued to put the NSIC on notice, at least when it comes to scoring, last weekend. The two sophomores averaged 20.0 and 18.5 points a game respectively, as each took a turn leading St. Cloud State in scoring over the weekend. Donaldson was outstanding on Friday, as he scored 11 of his team-leading 23 points in the second half, while Roberts led the way with 18 points in Saturday's loss. Currently this season, Roberts is averaging 20.1 points in NSIC play, while Donaldson is averaging 17.1
13 / 18 - The Huskies defense will face another challenge this weekend, as they need to stop Minnesota-Crookston freshman Josh Dilling. The first year Golden Eagle is currently averaging 13.0 points per game, a number that ranks second amongst all NSIC freshman. In the last five games, though, Dilling has been Minnesota-Crookston's top scorer, averaging 18.0 points while scoring 50 total points against Minot State and UMary.
81.9 / 64.7 - Scoring has certainly not been a struggle for St. Cloud State this season, as the team is averaging 81.9 points per game and is one of four teams in the NSIC to score 900+ points this season. On the flip side, the Golden Eagles have struggled to put points in the board in 2020-21. Through 12 games, MInnesota-Crookston is averaging just 64.7 points per game, the worst average in the NSIC this season.
63 / 5.3 - Ryan Bagley (Pocatello, Idaho / Burley) maintained his lead in the NSIC assists race this season. The junior transfer dishes 'em out at an average of 5.3 assists per game and has racked up 63 total assists through 12 games this season. Donaldson is right on his heels, as he ranks fourth in the conference in the same category, with 49 assists in 12 games for an average of 4.1 per game.
