St. Cloud State
9-14,5-10NSIC
Minnesota State University Moorhead
12-11,7-7NSIC
Willert not enough in Huskies loss to MSU-Moorhead
2/5/2022 7:43:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Sophomore scores a career-high 27 points in the defeat
ST. CLOUD, MINN. – The St. Cloud State University men's basketball team fell to MSU-Moorhead Saturday evening by a final score of 69-67. After the loss, the Huskies overall record now stands at 9-14 and 5-10 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) play.
GAME SUMMARY
The first half ended in a draw, as St. Cloud State and MSU-Moorhead were knotted 29-29 after the first 20 minutes of play. Joe Mutimer (Melbourne, Australia / Blackburn South) and Matthew Willert (Buffalo, Minn. / Buffalo) led the Huskies scoring charge in the opening half, as they both scored 10 points for St. Cloud State. Caleb Donaldson (Bloomington, Ill. / Bloomington) and Ryan Bagley (Pocatello, Idaho / Burley) accounted for the rest of the Huskies offense, as they drained three threes throughout the opening 20 minutes of play.
MSU-Moorhead looked to run away with the game in the second half, as the Dragons took a 46-33 lead on free throws and layups. St. Cloud State hung with the visitors through 15 minutes, though, whittling the lead to 55-54 with roughly 7:00 remaining in regulation. Though MSU-Moorhead got hot again, the visiting Dragons never led by more than five points, allowing the Huskies to stay within striking distance. Willert and Donaldson proved to be clutch down the stretch, as the duo scored 11 points down the stretch to pull St. Cloud State within two at 69-67.
After Willert converted two free throws, MSU-Moorhead was forced to inbound the ball under the Huskies basket with 5.6 seconds remaining on the clock. Mutimer and St. Cloud State's tough full court press forced a Dragon turnover, giving the Huskies the ball at 5.3 remaining on the clock. When Donaldson found Willert above the arc, it looked like St. Cloud State was destined for some last second heroics; however, Willert's shot bounced off the rim and into the hands of an MSU-Moorhead defender, resulting in a 69-67 loss for the Huskies.
TOP HUSKIES
- Matthew Willert (Buffalo, Minn. / Buffalo) casually dropped a career-high 27 points in the loss and pulled in five rebounds.
- Joe Mutimer (Melbourne, Australia / Blackburn South) also posted a career-high in points Saturday afternoon, scoring 14 on 6-12 shooting. Caleb Donaldson (Bloomington, Ill. / Bloomington) finished the night with 12 points, while Ryan Bagley (Pocatello, Idaho / Burley) led with seven rebounds.
UP NEXT
St. Cloud State will return to action on Friday, February 11 when the team faces Minot State at 7:30 p.m. in Minot, North Dakota.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Men's Basketball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
