Saturday, November 18
St. Cloud, Minn.
2:00 P.M. CT
St. Cloud State
vs
Minnesota State
Photo by: 2023 J. Canlas
St. Cloud State Men’s Basketball Prepares for Home Opener against Minnesota State
11/18/2023 12:09:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Huskies look to continue undefeated start
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Men's Basketball (2-0, 0-0 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) makes its 2023-24 home debut at Halenbeck Hall on Saturday when Minnesota State (2-0, 0-0 NSIC) comes to St. Cloud for a nonconference game that is set to tip off at 2 p.m. CT.
SCSU is looking to make its first 3-0 start since the 2018-2019 season when it finished the season with a 22-9 record.
FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
Tickets to the game are available at scsutickets.com. The game will be streamed live for free on the NSIC Network. Live stats will be covered by St Cloud State. Links to coverage options can be found on the St. Cloud State Men's Basketball schedule page.
LAST TIME OUT
Last weekend, St. Cloud State opened its season in Kansas City, Mo. for the Central Region Challenge and came away with victories over Pittsburgh State and Henderson State.
The Huskies pulled out an 80-73 victory over Pittsburgh State on Friday in their opener. Three freshmen made an immediate impact for SCSU – including Lucas Morgan (Sydney, Australia) who led the Huskies with 25 points on 9-13 shooting. He made three three-pointers and grabbed six rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench. Anish Ramlall (Rosemount, Minn.) poured in 15 points in his debut and Vance Peiffer (Waukee, Iowa) nearly recorded a double-double as he finished the afternoon with eight points and ten rebounds. With 8:39 left in second half, the Huskies held a 15-point lead and was in control of the game. However, PSU would fight back and eventually cut the deficit to only three points with 93 seconds left in the game. Senior Matt Willert (Buffalo, Minn.) sunk all comeback hopes for Pittsburgh State when he hit a three-point dagger off an assist from Ramlall to push the lead to six with 22 seconds remaining. Willert finished the game with 13 points, four rebounds, and three three-pointers made in 25 minutes of play.
St. Cloud State moved to 2-0 on the season after a 74-64 win over Henderson State on Saturday afternoon. A balanced scoring effort saw six Huskies record eight or more points – Anish Ramlall led the charge with 14. Through the season's first two games, Ramlall is the second leading scorer for SCSU with an average of 14.5 points per game. Lucas Morgan shined again and recorded a 10-point 11-rebound double-double off the bench. Redshirt sophomore Tony Dahl (Buffalo, Minn.) chipped in 13 points and seven rebounds while cashing in two three-pointers in 17 minutes off the bench. Defensively, the Huskies forced 14 turnovers and converted seven of those turnovers in the second half into 13 points to push what was a one-point halftime lead, to a 10-point victory.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's game with Minnesota State will be the 191st matchup between the schools. The teams first met in the 1923-24 season when SCSU won 12-8. The teams met twice last year, and the Mavericks won both games. SCSU is currently on a six-game losing streak to Minnesota State. St. Cloud State holds an all-time record of 98-92 over the Mavericks.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA STATE
Minnesota State also competed in the Central Region Challenge last weekend. Like the Huskies, they collected two victories in as many games. Minnesota State took down Southern Arkansas and Arkansas-Monticello.
On Friday, the Mavericks cruised to a 90-70 victory over Southern Arkansas. MSU stormed out to a 17-point first half lead and never looked back. Saturday's victory over Arkansas-Monticello was tightly contested in the first half with the Mavs only leading by five, but a second half surge helped Mankato come away with a 69-57 win.
The Mavericks have been led this year by senior guard Malik Willingham. Through two games, Willingham is stuffing the stat sheet, averaging 21 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. Willingham was named the NSIC Player of the Week for his efforts in the first two games. Four other Mavericks are averaging double-digit points so far this year – Justin Eagins, Kyreese Willingham, Dylan Peeters, and Elijah Hazekamp.
Matt Margenthaler heads into his 22nd year as the head coach for Minnesota State. Margenthaler has a 68.4% winning percentage, and he has guided his teams to double digit wins in 11 consecutive seasons. In eight career games at Halenbeck Hall, Margenthaler has only lost one game and has an average margin of victory of 11.14 points.
SHINING STAR
St. Cloud State freshman guard Lucas Morgan (Sydney, Australia) was named to the NSIC Men's Basketball Shining 5 by the league office last week for his efforts in his first two collegiate games. He averaged 17.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in just 24.5 minutes per game during the 2-0 weekend for the Huskies in Kansas City. He shot 68.4% (13-of-19) from the field and 57.1% (4-of-7) from behind the three-point line over the weekend. In his collegiate debut on Friday, he erupted for 25 points and grabbed six rebounds in an 80-73 win over Pittsburg State. In just his second collegiate game ever, he recorded his first career double-double (10 points and 11 rebounds) in a 74-64 win over Henderson State.
HUSKIES HOOPS PREVIEW
Head coach Quincy Henderson enters his second season at the helm of the SCSU Men's Basketball Program. The Huskies finished Henderson's first season with a 10-18 (7-15 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) record finishing fifth in the North Division and tied for 12th overall. The Huskies were picked to finish 14th in the 2023-24 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Preseason Coaches' Poll and graduate student guard Luke Taylor (Germantown, Wis.) was named the preseason player to watch by the NSIC.
"I am excited about the growth potential of this young group," said Henderson, "We likely have the youngest team in Division 2 this year, and so development will be key. The NSIC is an incredibly competitive league, and our resiliency will be tested. I am optimistic about the future of this group and the direction we are headed."
Taylor returns to SCSU for his graduate year after starting every game last season. He played 24.0 minutes per game while averaging 12.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game shooting 45.2% from the field, 31.3% from three and 77.5% from the charity stripe. He ranked first on the team in field goals made (137), field goals attempted (303), offensive rebounds (32) and total rebounds (130) and second in free throws made (62), free throws attempted (80), total points (357).
"Luke had a tremendous finish to the 2023 season," said Henderson, "His on-court progression has been fun to watch, and his work ethic has been impeccable. He received the Myles Brand award for academic excellence a season ago. He is an exemplary student and citizen. We are fortunate to have him back in his grad year and look forward to his continued contributions to the program."
SCSU returns one graduate student - Taylor, two seniors - Matt Willert (Buffalo, Minn.) and Joe Mutimer (Melbourne, Australia), one junior - Dom Aguilar (Fergus Falls, Minn.) and two sophomores - Andre Renta (Hudson, Wis.) and redshirt sophomore Tony Dahl (Buffalo, Minn.) from last year's team. Mutimer, Taylor and Willert were starters. The Huskies brought in one grad transfer – Craig Steele (Portage, Wis.) and eight freshmen – Jamiir Allen (Milwuakee, Wis.), Nathan Bunkosky (Ponte Verda Beach, Fla.), Nate Dahl (Buffalo, Minn.), Wyatt Hawks (White Bear Lake, Minn.), Lucas Morgan (Sydney, Australia), Izaac Neal (Oak Creek, Wis.), Vance Peiffer (Waukee, Iowa) and Anish Ramlall (Rosemount, Minn.) over the offseason.
St. Cloud State Men's Basketball season tickets for the 2023-24 season are available. Fans can purchase season tickets by visiting scsuickets.com or by calling 1-877-SCSUTIX / 320-308-2137. The season ticket package includes tickets to 16 regular season home games played in Halenbeck Hall. Single game tickets are also available.
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.
SCSU is looking to make its first 3-0 start since the 2018-2019 season when it finished the season with a 22-9 record.
FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
Tickets to the game are available at scsutickets.com. The game will be streamed live for free on the NSIC Network. Live stats will be covered by St Cloud State. Links to coverage options can be found on the St. Cloud State Men's Basketball schedule page.
LAST TIME OUT
Last weekend, St. Cloud State opened its season in Kansas City, Mo. for the Central Region Challenge and came away with victories over Pittsburgh State and Henderson State.
The Huskies pulled out an 80-73 victory over Pittsburgh State on Friday in their opener. Three freshmen made an immediate impact for SCSU – including Lucas Morgan (Sydney, Australia) who led the Huskies with 25 points on 9-13 shooting. He made three three-pointers and grabbed six rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench. Anish Ramlall (Rosemount, Minn.) poured in 15 points in his debut and Vance Peiffer (Waukee, Iowa) nearly recorded a double-double as he finished the afternoon with eight points and ten rebounds. With 8:39 left in second half, the Huskies held a 15-point lead and was in control of the game. However, PSU would fight back and eventually cut the deficit to only three points with 93 seconds left in the game. Senior Matt Willert (Buffalo, Minn.) sunk all comeback hopes for Pittsburgh State when he hit a three-point dagger off an assist from Ramlall to push the lead to six with 22 seconds remaining. Willert finished the game with 13 points, four rebounds, and three three-pointers made in 25 minutes of play.
St. Cloud State moved to 2-0 on the season after a 74-64 win over Henderson State on Saturday afternoon. A balanced scoring effort saw six Huskies record eight or more points – Anish Ramlall led the charge with 14. Through the season's first two games, Ramlall is the second leading scorer for SCSU with an average of 14.5 points per game. Lucas Morgan shined again and recorded a 10-point 11-rebound double-double off the bench. Redshirt sophomore Tony Dahl (Buffalo, Minn.) chipped in 13 points and seven rebounds while cashing in two three-pointers in 17 minutes off the bench. Defensively, the Huskies forced 14 turnovers and converted seven of those turnovers in the second half into 13 points to push what was a one-point halftime lead, to a 10-point victory.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's game with Minnesota State will be the 191st matchup between the schools. The teams first met in the 1923-24 season when SCSU won 12-8. The teams met twice last year, and the Mavericks won both games. SCSU is currently on a six-game losing streak to Minnesota State. St. Cloud State holds an all-time record of 98-92 over the Mavericks.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA STATE
Minnesota State also competed in the Central Region Challenge last weekend. Like the Huskies, they collected two victories in as many games. Minnesota State took down Southern Arkansas and Arkansas-Monticello.
On Friday, the Mavericks cruised to a 90-70 victory over Southern Arkansas. MSU stormed out to a 17-point first half lead and never looked back. Saturday's victory over Arkansas-Monticello was tightly contested in the first half with the Mavs only leading by five, but a second half surge helped Mankato come away with a 69-57 win.
The Mavericks have been led this year by senior guard Malik Willingham. Through two games, Willingham is stuffing the stat sheet, averaging 21 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. Willingham was named the NSIC Player of the Week for his efforts in the first two games. Four other Mavericks are averaging double-digit points so far this year – Justin Eagins, Kyreese Willingham, Dylan Peeters, and Elijah Hazekamp.
Matt Margenthaler heads into his 22nd year as the head coach for Minnesota State. Margenthaler has a 68.4% winning percentage, and he has guided his teams to double digit wins in 11 consecutive seasons. In eight career games at Halenbeck Hall, Margenthaler has only lost one game and has an average margin of victory of 11.14 points.
SHINING STAR
St. Cloud State freshman guard Lucas Morgan (Sydney, Australia) was named to the NSIC Men's Basketball Shining 5 by the league office last week for his efforts in his first two collegiate games. He averaged 17.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in just 24.5 minutes per game during the 2-0 weekend for the Huskies in Kansas City. He shot 68.4% (13-of-19) from the field and 57.1% (4-of-7) from behind the three-point line over the weekend. In his collegiate debut on Friday, he erupted for 25 points and grabbed six rebounds in an 80-73 win over Pittsburg State. In just his second collegiate game ever, he recorded his first career double-double (10 points and 11 rebounds) in a 74-64 win over Henderson State.
HUSKIES HOOPS PREVIEW
Head coach Quincy Henderson enters his second season at the helm of the SCSU Men's Basketball Program. The Huskies finished Henderson's first season with a 10-18 (7-15 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) record finishing fifth in the North Division and tied for 12th overall. The Huskies were picked to finish 14th in the 2023-24 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Preseason Coaches' Poll and graduate student guard Luke Taylor (Germantown, Wis.) was named the preseason player to watch by the NSIC.
"I am excited about the growth potential of this young group," said Henderson, "We likely have the youngest team in Division 2 this year, and so development will be key. The NSIC is an incredibly competitive league, and our resiliency will be tested. I am optimistic about the future of this group and the direction we are headed."
Taylor returns to SCSU for his graduate year after starting every game last season. He played 24.0 minutes per game while averaging 12.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game shooting 45.2% from the field, 31.3% from three and 77.5% from the charity stripe. He ranked first on the team in field goals made (137), field goals attempted (303), offensive rebounds (32) and total rebounds (130) and second in free throws made (62), free throws attempted (80), total points (357).
"Luke had a tremendous finish to the 2023 season," said Henderson, "His on-court progression has been fun to watch, and his work ethic has been impeccable. He received the Myles Brand award for academic excellence a season ago. He is an exemplary student and citizen. We are fortunate to have him back in his grad year and look forward to his continued contributions to the program."
SCSU returns one graduate student - Taylor, two seniors - Matt Willert (Buffalo, Minn.) and Joe Mutimer (Melbourne, Australia), one junior - Dom Aguilar (Fergus Falls, Minn.) and two sophomores - Andre Renta (Hudson, Wis.) and redshirt sophomore Tony Dahl (Buffalo, Minn.) from last year's team. Mutimer, Taylor and Willert were starters. The Huskies brought in one grad transfer – Craig Steele (Portage, Wis.) and eight freshmen – Jamiir Allen (Milwuakee, Wis.), Nathan Bunkosky (Ponte Verda Beach, Fla.), Nate Dahl (Buffalo, Minn.), Wyatt Hawks (White Bear Lake, Minn.), Lucas Morgan (Sydney, Australia), Izaac Neal (Oak Creek, Wis.), Vance Peiffer (Waukee, Iowa) and Anish Ramlall (Rosemount, Minn.) over the offseason.
St. Cloud State Men's Basketball season tickets for the 2023-24 season are available. Fans can purchase season tickets by visiting scsuickets.com or by calling 1-877-SCSUTIX / 320-308-2137. The season ticket package includes tickets to 16 regular season home games played in Halenbeck Hall. Single game tickets are also available.
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.
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