Friday, December 1
St. Cloud, Minn.
5:30 P.M. CT
St. Cloud State
vs
Minnesota Crookston
Photo by: Jason Soria
St. Cloud State Men’s Basketball Opens Conference Play With Pair of Home Games
11/30/2023 8:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Huskies host Minnesota Crookston Friday, Minot State Saturday
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Men's Basketball (3-1, 0-0 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) opens NSIC play at Halenebeck Hall this weekend. On Friday, the Huskies will face off against Minnesota Crookston (3-3, 0-1 NSIC) and Minot State (4-1, 1-0 NSIC) on Saturday. Friday's game tips off at 5:30 p.m. CT and Saturday's game is set for 3:30 p.m. CT.
FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
Tickets to the game are available at scsutickets.com. The games will be streamed live for free on the NSIC Network (Friday's Stream / Saturday's Stream) and broadcasted on the Varsity Network app. Steve Linzmeier, the Voice of St. Cloud State Basketball, can be heard on the livestream and the radio broadcast. Live stats will be covered by St Cloud State. Links to each coverage option can be found on the St. Cloud State Men's Basketball schedule page.
GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS
The promo for Friday's game is Winter Wonderland White Out – wear white. The promo for Saturday's game is Dog Pound Appreciation – there will be free pizza for students in attendance.
LAST TIME OUT
Following the team's first loss of the season, St. Cloud State got back in the win column on Tuesday, Nov. 21 with a 64-61 victory over Michigan Tech. Despite shooting less than 35% from the field in the first half, SCSU would head into halftime with a nine-point lead thanks to their defense and three-point shooting. St. Cloud State put the clamps on Michigan Tech's offense in the 1st forcing MTU to shoot a mere 9-of-31 from the field and 1-of-11 from three-point range. St. Cloud State kept the reigning GLIAC Player of the Week, Marcus Tomashek, in check as they held him to four-points on 1-of-6 shooting. On the offensive end, St. Cloud drained five of their eleven three-point attempts with freshman Anish Ramlall (Rosemount, Minn.) accounting for three of those makes. Ramlall led St. Cloud State with 13 first half points.
The game tightened up in the second half as Tomashek caught fire. He scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half and shot 6-of-11 from the field. SCSU would push the lead to 12 early in the second half, but a 12-2 Michigan Tech run would bring them within two points of SCSU. St. Cloud would respond with a 10-2 run of their own with senior Joe Mutimer (Melbourne, Australia) and Ramlall scoring all 10 of the points. The game would continue going back and forth. St. Cloud State maintained its lead until a jumper by Tomashek gave Michigan Tech the lead with 36 seconds left. On the next possession, freshman Jamiir Allen (Milwaukee, Wis.) would breakdown his defender on the right wing, drive into the paint, and shoot a left-handed floater that bounced around the rim and eventually dropped to give MTU the lead with 24 seconds remaining. Michigan Tech would have one final chance to pull out the victory, but Ramlall would steal and inbounds pass, get fouled, and ice the game at the line with two clutch free throws to give SCSU its third win of the season. Ramlall finished the game with 22 points, four rebounds, four made threes, and two steals. Senior Luke Taylor (Germantown, Wis.) was the SCSU's second leading scorer with 10 points. Mutimer would finish with 9 points, two rebounds, and five assists. Freshman Lucas Morgan (Sydney, Australia) recorded his second career game with double-digit rebounds as he snatched 10 in the game.
SERIES HISTORY
Friday's matchup will mark the 42nd meeting between the Huskies and Golden Eagles with the Huskies having a commanding 38-4 record including nine straight victories. In the two matchups last year, St. Cloud would capture comfortable victories with margins of 26 and 14 points. In the first matchup, Luke Taylor dominated on all facets with 18 points on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting, five rebounds, four assists, one block, one steal, and one three-point make. Joe Mutimer would pour in 15 points as he drained three three-pointers. The Huskies as a team were blistering hot shooting the ball as they shot 51.6% from the field and from beyond the arc as well as 90.9% from the free throw line. In the second matchup, it was senior Matt Willert (Buffalo, Minnesota) that led the Huskies with 23 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Mutimer would again score in double-digits as he recorded a stat sheet stuffing 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two made three pointers.
Saturday's matchup with Minot State will be the 24th meeting all-time between the programs with the Huskies holding an 18-6 advantage. The teams would split the two matchups last year. The Beavers would take the first game as they won 96-74. Luke Taylor would score a team high 17 points and posted a career-high three blocks. The Huskies defense allowed Minot to shoot 53% from the field and 54% from three-point range with 13 makes. The second matchup would fall in favor of the Huskies as they squeaked out a 107-105 OT thriller. Redshirt sophomore Tony Dahl (Buffalo, Minn.) would drill a three-pointer with 21 seconds left in overtime to give the Huskies a four-point lead. Minot would respond with a three-pointer of their own to bring the deficit back to one point. Matt Willert would be fouled twice in the remaining 12 seconds of the game and calmly knocked down all four free throws. Willert destroyed the Beaver's dam with 32 points on an impeccable 9-of-11 shooting and cashed in five three-pointers. Willert would also grab five rebounds, dish out three assists, and post a steal and a block. Taylor scorched Minot with 26 points of his own to go along with three rebounds and four assists.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA CROOKSTON
Minnesota Crookston comes into this matchup posting a 3-3 record but has lost three of their last four games including a 67-79 loss in their conference opener against Minot State last Tuesday.
Junior guard Blaize Sagna leads the Golden Eagles offensive attack scoring 21 points per game on 46% from the field and 50% from three. Sagna has been on fire in the past two games for Crookston as he poured in 30 points against Minot State and 17 against Parkside. Sagna has also made nine total threes across both games. Other key contributors for the Eagles include sophomore guard Reid Grant and junior forward Aguek Deng. Grant is the second leading scorer on the team with 16.2 points per game on shooting splits of 55.6% from the field and 51.6% from three. Deng nearly averages a double-double with 8.3 points and 10.3 rebounds. Deng has also been a force defensively as he's blocked two shots per game.
In the two matchups last year, Sagna only played in the first game and posted a stat line of 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
Head coach Bryan Beamish goes into his second season as the head coach after spending the previous eight season as an assistant and associate coach for the program. Beamish posted a 2-26 record in his inaugural season which was tied for the second lowest win total in program history. Beamish hopes to turn around a program that has only produced one winning season since the 1992-1993 season.
SCOUTING MINOT STATE
Minot State comes to Halenbeck Hall on a two-game winning streak and a 4-1 record overall. The Beavers Minnesota Crookston 79-67 last Tuesday and followed that up with a commanding 99-58 victory over the University of Jamestown.
The Beavers produce a very balanced scoring attack with five players scoring in double-digits, but senior guard Khair Broadway leads the way with 14.2 points per game. Broadway also has averages of five rebounds, 2.8 assists, and two steals. Despite only playing in two games this year, junior guard Jalen Cook comes into this matchup as the Beavers second leading scorer with 11.5 points per game on 53.3% from the field and 45.5% from three. Junior forward Connor Hollenbeck leads the team in rebounding with 6.2 per game and averages 10.6 points.
In the first matchup, Cook was the second leading scorer for the Beavers with 22 points on 8/9 shooting off the bench. Broadway also chipped in 11 points. In the second matchup, it was Hollenbeck who was unconscious for the Beavers. In 39 minutes, Hollenbeck lit up the Huskies with a 31-point double-double on 11/13 shooting, two assists, one block, three steals, and six mad three pointers. Broadway dropped 26 points to go along with five rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Broadway also got to the free throw line 12 times and made 11 of the attempts.
Mark Murken heads into his 12th season as the head coach for Minot State. Murken has an all-time record of 140-179 in his tenure with the program. Murken sits 4th all-time in wins in program history.
Minot State will travel to Bemidji State on Friday before they play the Huskies on Saturday.
SHINING STAR
St. Cloud State freshman Lucas Morgan (Sydney, Australia) was named to the NSIC Men's Basketball Shining 5 by the league office after the first week of action 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 as a graduate student 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.
FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
Tickets to the game are available at scsutickets.com. The games will be streamed live for free on the NSIC Network (Friday's Stream / Saturday's Stream) and broadcasted on the Varsity Network app. Steve Linzmeier, the Voice of St. Cloud State Basketball, can be heard on the livestream and the radio broadcast. Live stats will be covered by St Cloud State. Links to each coverage option can be found on the St. Cloud State Men's Basketball schedule page.
GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS
The promo for Friday's game is Winter Wonderland White Out – wear white. The promo for Saturday's game is Dog Pound Appreciation – there will be free pizza for students in attendance.
LAST TIME OUT
Following the team's first loss of the season, St. Cloud State got back in the win column on Tuesday, Nov. 21 with a 64-61 victory over Michigan Tech. Despite shooting less than 35% from the field in the first half, SCSU would head into halftime with a nine-point lead thanks to their defense and three-point shooting. St. Cloud State put the clamps on Michigan Tech's offense in the 1st forcing MTU to shoot a mere 9-of-31 from the field and 1-of-11 from three-point range. St. Cloud State kept the reigning GLIAC Player of the Week, Marcus Tomashek, in check as they held him to four-points on 1-of-6 shooting. On the offensive end, St. Cloud drained five of their eleven three-point attempts with freshman Anish Ramlall (Rosemount, Minn.) accounting for three of those makes. Ramlall led St. Cloud State with 13 first half points.
The game tightened up in the second half as Tomashek caught fire. He scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half and shot 6-of-11 from the field. SCSU would push the lead to 12 early in the second half, but a 12-2 Michigan Tech run would bring them within two points of SCSU. St. Cloud would respond with a 10-2 run of their own with senior Joe Mutimer (Melbourne, Australia) and Ramlall scoring all 10 of the points. The game would continue going back and forth. St. Cloud State maintained its lead until a jumper by Tomashek gave Michigan Tech the lead with 36 seconds left. On the next possession, freshman Jamiir Allen (Milwaukee, Wis.) would breakdown his defender on the right wing, drive into the paint, and shoot a left-handed floater that bounced around the rim and eventually dropped to give MTU the lead with 24 seconds remaining. Michigan Tech would have one final chance to pull out the victory, but Ramlall would steal and inbounds pass, get fouled, and ice the game at the line with two clutch free throws to give SCSU its third win of the season. Ramlall finished the game with 22 points, four rebounds, four made threes, and two steals. Senior Luke Taylor (Germantown, Wis.) was the SCSU's second leading scorer with 10 points. Mutimer would finish with 9 points, two rebounds, and five assists. Freshman Lucas Morgan (Sydney, Australia) recorded his second career game with double-digit rebounds as he snatched 10 in the game.
SERIES HISTORY
Friday's matchup will mark the 42nd meeting between the Huskies and Golden Eagles with the Huskies having a commanding 38-4 record including nine straight victories. In the two matchups last year, St. Cloud would capture comfortable victories with margins of 26 and 14 points. In the first matchup, Luke Taylor dominated on all facets with 18 points on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting, five rebounds, four assists, one block, one steal, and one three-point make. Joe Mutimer would pour in 15 points as he drained three three-pointers. The Huskies as a team were blistering hot shooting the ball as they shot 51.6% from the field and from beyond the arc as well as 90.9% from the free throw line. In the second matchup, it was senior Matt Willert (Buffalo, Minnesota) that led the Huskies with 23 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Mutimer would again score in double-digits as he recorded a stat sheet stuffing 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two made three pointers.
Saturday's matchup with Minot State will be the 24th meeting all-time between the programs with the Huskies holding an 18-6 advantage. The teams would split the two matchups last year. The Beavers would take the first game as they won 96-74. Luke Taylor would score a team high 17 points and posted a career-high three blocks. The Huskies defense allowed Minot to shoot 53% from the field and 54% from three-point range with 13 makes. The second matchup would fall in favor of the Huskies as they squeaked out a 107-105 OT thriller. Redshirt sophomore Tony Dahl (Buffalo, Minn.) would drill a three-pointer with 21 seconds left in overtime to give the Huskies a four-point lead. Minot would respond with a three-pointer of their own to bring the deficit back to one point. Matt Willert would be fouled twice in the remaining 12 seconds of the game and calmly knocked down all four free throws. Willert destroyed the Beaver's dam with 32 points on an impeccable 9-of-11 shooting and cashed in five three-pointers. Willert would also grab five rebounds, dish out three assists, and post a steal and a block. Taylor scorched Minot with 26 points of his own to go along with three rebounds and four assists.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA CROOKSTON
Minnesota Crookston comes into this matchup posting a 3-3 record but has lost three of their last four games including a 67-79 loss in their conference opener against Minot State last Tuesday.
Junior guard Blaize Sagna leads the Golden Eagles offensive attack scoring 21 points per game on 46% from the field and 50% from three. Sagna has been on fire in the past two games for Crookston as he poured in 30 points against Minot State and 17 against Parkside. Sagna has also made nine total threes across both games. Other key contributors for the Eagles include sophomore guard Reid Grant and junior forward Aguek Deng. Grant is the second leading scorer on the team with 16.2 points per game on shooting splits of 55.6% from the field and 51.6% from three. Deng nearly averages a double-double with 8.3 points and 10.3 rebounds. Deng has also been a force defensively as he's blocked two shots per game.
In the two matchups last year, Sagna only played in the first game and posted a stat line of 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
Head coach Bryan Beamish goes into his second season as the head coach after spending the previous eight season as an assistant and associate coach for the program. Beamish posted a 2-26 record in his inaugural season which was tied for the second lowest win total in program history. Beamish hopes to turn around a program that has only produced one winning season since the 1992-1993 season.
SCOUTING MINOT STATE
Minot State comes to Halenbeck Hall on a two-game winning streak and a 4-1 record overall. The Beavers Minnesota Crookston 79-67 last Tuesday and followed that up with a commanding 99-58 victory over the University of Jamestown.
The Beavers produce a very balanced scoring attack with five players scoring in double-digits, but senior guard Khair Broadway leads the way with 14.2 points per game. Broadway also has averages of five rebounds, 2.8 assists, and two steals. Despite only playing in two games this year, junior guard Jalen Cook comes into this matchup as the Beavers second leading scorer with 11.5 points per game on 53.3% from the field and 45.5% from three. Junior forward Connor Hollenbeck leads the team in rebounding with 6.2 per game and averages 10.6 points.
In the first matchup, Cook was the second leading scorer for the Beavers with 22 points on 8/9 shooting off the bench. Broadway also chipped in 11 points. In the second matchup, it was Hollenbeck who was unconscious for the Beavers. In 39 minutes, Hollenbeck lit up the Huskies with a 31-point double-double on 11/13 shooting, two assists, one block, three steals, and six mad three pointers. Broadway dropped 26 points to go along with five rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Broadway also got to the free throw line 12 times and made 11 of the attempts.
Mark Murken heads into his 12th season as the head coach for Minot State. Murken has an all-time record of 140-179 in his tenure with the program. Murken sits 4th all-time in wins in program history.
Minot State will travel to Bemidji State on Friday before they play the Huskies on Saturday.
SHINING STAR
St. Cloud State freshman Lucas Morgan (Sydney, Australia) was named to the NSIC Men's Basketball Shining 5 by the league office after the first week of action 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 as a graduate student 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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