St. Cloud State
7-8,5-6NSIC
University of Minnesota Duluth
6-6,5-6NSIC
Men’s basketball hangs on for 91-86 win in season finale
2/20/2021 5:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ST. CLOUD, MINN. - It writes like a movie script. Two rivals squaring off with a trip to the playoffs on the line. A must win for two teams desperate to make it back to the conference tournament. Prolific scorers dueling for a chance at conference supremacy. Sports narrations that have been written countless times, and were revisited in Halenbeck Hall Saturday afternoon. The latest iteration happened to feature the St. Cloud State University men's basketball team and its Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) rival the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
After a seemingly devastating loss to the Bulldogs Friday, the Huskies needed to win Saturday to keep their playoff hopes alive, and win in exactly what they did. After a dominating first half performance, St. Cloud State held on for a dramatic 91-86 win over Minnesota-Duluth and moved to sole possession of fourth place in the NSIC North Division standings.
The Huskies and Bulldogs produced fast paced drama with high intensity, with the home team holding a 43-36 advantage at halftime. It was Anthony Roberts (Chicago, Ill. / Oak Park) and Caleb Donaldson (Bloomington, Ill. / Bloomington) that led St. Cloud State in the opening 20 minutes of play, as Roberts scored 14 points on 5-7 shooting, while Donaldson tallied 10 while shooting .500 from the floor. Additionally Roberts and Josh Tomasi (Melbourne, Australia / Western Colorado) led the team with four rebounds a piece in the first while, while Ryan Bagley (Pocatello, Idaho / Burley) recorded a team-leading four assists.
The second half was somehow faster and far more physical than the first, as the Bulldogs closed the gap on the Huskies little by little. It was primarily due to the scoring efforts of Jack Middleton and Drew Blair. While St. Cloud State's defense held the duo to a combined three points in the opening half, the two could not miss in the second, as they closed the game with 20 points apiece, hoisting shots and watching them fall despite a strong defensive effort from the Huskies.
In the end, St. Cloud State proved to be the better team, as the Huskies forced 23 Bulldog turnovers to clinch the 91-86 victory. Roberts ended the game as the leading scorer, as he tallied 29 points on 11-15 shooting, including a 5-8 mark from beyond the arc. He additionally added 12 rebounds to his stat line, tallying yet another double-double, with two assists and a steal.
Donaldson closed the game with an impressive 20 points, shooting 8-15 from the field and 2-3 from three-point land, while Tomasi and Matthew Willert (Buffalo, Minn. Buffalo) finished the game with 14 points a piece. Bagley tied his career high with 11 assists in the victory.
With the win, the Huskies conclude the regular season with an 8-8 record and a 6-6 mark in NSIC North Division play. The win also moved St. Cloud State into sole possession of fourth place in the NSIC North Division standings, meaning the Huskies must now wait and see if they qualify for the NSIC / Sanford Health Tournament. More information will be available in the upcoming hours.
