Saturday, December 16
St. Cloud, Minn.
1:00 P.M. CT
St. Cloud State
vs
Bemidji State
Photo by: Jacob Sanders
St. Cloud State Men’s Basketball Returns Home to Host Bemidji State
12/15/2023 3:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Huskies look to continue to build momentum in final home game of 2023
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Men's Basketball (5-4 overall, 2-3 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) returns to Halenbeck Hall after a three consecutive road games to host the Bemidji State Beavers (7-4, 3-2 NSIC) on Saturday, December 16. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT. It is the Huskies final home game of 2023 and last Northern Sun game until the new year.
FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
Tickets to the game are available at scsutickets.com. The game will be streamed live for free on the NSIC Network and broadcasted on The Varsity Network. Steve Linzmeier, the Voice of St. Cloud State Basketball, can be heard on the livestream and the audio broadcast. Live stats will be provided by SCSU. Links to each coverage option can be found on the St. Cloud State Men's Basketball schedule page.
GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS
Teddy Bear Toss – There will be a teddy bear toss with all donations benefiting Toys for Tots.
Youth Day – Every child 13 and under will get in free with a paid adult ticket.
Husky Hot Shots Performances – At halftime of our game, children who participated in our youth camp, Husky Hot Shots, will be performing. They will be accompanied by SCSU Women's Basketball players.
LAST TIME OUT
On Tuesday, St. Cloud State traveled to UMary for a midweek conference clash against the Marauders. After the first five minutes, the game was tied at 10 apiece. UMary used a 13-4 run over the next three minutes to build up a nine-point lead. St. Cloud State would start to find their footing offensively with 9:47 left in the half as they embarked on a 13-6 run to tie the game at 29. Graduate student Luke Taylor (Germantown, Wis.) started the run by grabbing an offensive rebound and scoring a putback layup. Senior Matt Willert (Buffalo, Minn.) capped off the ensuing defensive possession by grabbing a rebound and then used a screen by Taylor to bury a deep three. After the Huskies knotted the game at 29 with 5:35 left in the half, they would go on to finish the half on a 12-4 run to take a 41-33 lead going into halftime. Freshman guard Anish Ramlall (Rosemount, Minn.) closed out the half by splashing home a corner three pointer with six seconds left.
The Marauders did not go away quietly, going on an 8-2 run out of the halftime break. The run brought UMary back within two points at the 13:31 mark. The Huskies responded by pushing the lead back up to 10 points by way of a 12-4 run. Willert finished off the run by stepping back for a three-pointer that caused his defender to fall and drained the shot. UMary responded with a big 14-4 run of its own to tie the game at 59 with 3:47 left in the 2nd half. Freshman Lucas Morgan (Sydney, Australia) briefly broke the tie when he drove into the lane and knocked down a right-handed floater. Following a defensive rebound, Zyon Smith of UMary made a fastbreak layup to knot the game back up with 2:53 remaining causing St. Cloud State to call a timeout. The Huskies needed to score in the clutch, and they went to the hot hand of Willert to take them home. Willert drove into the paint, spun off his defender, and wrapped a left-handed layup around his defender to give the Huskies a two-point lead and Willert 1,000 points in his SCSU career. St. Cloud State forced a turnover on consecutive defensive possessions and had the ball with 1:14 left. On the ensuing offensive possession, Ramlall broke down his defender, drove into the paint and threw a bullet pass to Willert in the corner where he cashed the dagger three-pointer to give the Huskies a five-point lead. The Huskies put the game away by making their free throws late and left Bismarck with a 68-61 victory.
Willert led the Huskies with 16 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and drained three three-pointers in 23 minutes off the bench. Willert has been on fire for the Huskies the past three games as he has exceeded 15 or more points in all three contests and has made three three-pointers in those games. He also became the 46th player in program history to join the 1,000-point club and ended the night with 1,006 points moving him up to No. 45. Morgan recorded his second career double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. The freshman has been a rebounding machine, snatching double digit rebounds in four of the nine games this season. Morgan ranks 11th in the conference in rebounding average with 7.3 per game. Taylor scored in double figures for the seventh consecutive game, tallying 12 points and four rebounds.
SERIES HISTORY
St. Cloud State and Bemidji State will face off for the 154th time this Saturday. The Huskies hold a 105-48 advantage. Last year's matchups saw a split between the two games. St. Cloud State took the first tilt, opening the game on a 10-0 run in the first three minutes. The Beavers brought themselves within four points late in the first half, but SCSU closed the half on an 18-7 run to take a 15-point lead at the break. BSU made multiple runs in the second half, getting themselves within three points, but a 10-0 SCSU run with 8:55 left in the game would all but seal it for the Huskies. St. Cloud State took the game 81-70 after leading for the entire game. Matt Willert scored a game-high 22 points on eight of nine shooting and went two of three from beyond the arc. Luke Taylor was not far behind him, scoring 19 points and grabbing five rebounds.
The second matchup fell in favor of the Beavers as their offense was too much for the Huskies. Bemidji State shot 70% from the field in the first half and were white-hot from three-point land, shooting 10-of-13. Bemidji State did not slow down in the second half as they shot 50% from the field and from three, cruising to a 99-81 victory. Junior guard Dom Aguilar (Fergus, Falls, Minn.) scored 11 points in 16 minutes off the bench. Aguilar shot 4-of-6 from the field and made three of his four three-point attempts. Willert and Taylor each scored nine points.
SCOUTING BEMIDJI STATE
Bemidji State comes into this matchup with a 7-4 record overall and a 3-2 record in conference play. The Beavers snapped a two-game losing streak on Thursday, beating UMary 78-62 after dropping the two previous games to MSU Moorhead (74-82) and Northern State (68-84). The Beavers are currently winless on the road and own a 0-3 mark away from home.
The front court of the Beavers is second to none in the NSIC as junior forward John Sutherland and senior forward Dalton Albrecht are both walking double-doubles – both players are 6-7. Sutherland is fifth in the NSIC in scoring at 20.4 points per game and is second the NSIC in field goal percentage at 59.2%. Sutherland grabs 9.3 rebounds per game, which is right behind his front court partner for best in the NSIC. Albrecht is 11th in the NSIC in scoring at 17.1 points per game and leads the conference in rebounding at 11.3 rebounds per game. Albrecht has recorded a double-double in eight of 11 games this season while Sutherland has recorded four total.
Sutherland was named to the NSIC Shining 5 last week as after averaging 21 points, 10.5 rebounds, and five assists. Two weeks ago, Sutherland was awarded NSIC Player of the Week for his efforts against Minnesota Crookston and Minot State. He averaged 21.5 points and 12 rebounds and made a buzzer beating layup to beat Crookston.
Last year's matchups showcased why Sutherland is one of the best players in the NSIC. The Grand Rapids, Minn. native recorded a double-double in the first game, scoring 18 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Sutherland was also an efficient 9-of-13 from the field. Albrecht was kept off the glass as he only grabbed three rebounds and struggled to score as he was held to seven points on 2-of-11 from the field. The second game saw Sutherland have another dominant outing scoring 21 points, grabbing five rebounds, and dishing out four assists. Albrecht got back on track in the second game scoring 18 points and grabbing six rebounds in the 18-point victory.
Mike Boschee enters his 12th season as the head coach of Bemidji State. Boschee holds an all-time record of 135-159 including a 20-11 record last season. The Beavers made their way to the NSIC semifinals where they lost on a buzzer beater to MSU Moorhead. For the first time in 10 years, Bemidji State reached the semifinals and finished the season ranked ninth in the NCAA Central Region. Prior to Bemidji State, Boschee was the head coach at Central College in Iowa for nine seasons where he posted a 115-115 record.
NEWEST 1,000-POINT CLUB MEMBER
St. Cloud State senior Matt Willert (Buffalo, Minn.) became the 46th member of the St. Cloud State Men's Basketball 1,000-point club in Tuesday's 68-61 win at UMary. Willert scored a game-high 16 points, including six points after he reached 1,000. He ended the night with 1,006 career points, moving him up to No. 45 on the all-time scoring list. Willert has played in 83 games (2,295 minutes) over the past four seasons for the Huskies. He averages 12.1 points per game for his career on 334-of-783 (42.7%) shooting from the field, 161-463 (34.8%) from three and 177-206 (85.9%) from the free throw line.
SHINING STAR
St. Cloud State freshman Lucas Morgan (Sydney, Australia) was named to the NSIC Men's Basketball Shining 5 by the league office on Nov. 11 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.
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 game will be streamed live for free on the NSIC Network and broadcasted on The Varsity Network. Steve Linzmeier, the Voice of St. Cloud State Basketball, can be heard on the livestream and the audio broadcast. Live stats will be provided by SCSU. Links to each coverage option can be found on the St. Cloud State Men's Basketball schedule page.
GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS
Teddy Bear Toss – There will be a teddy bear toss with all donations benefiting Toys for Tots.
Youth Day – Every child 13 and under will get in free with a paid adult ticket.
Husky Hot Shots Performances – At halftime of our game, children who participated in our youth camp, Husky Hot Shots, will be performing. They will be accompanied by SCSU Women's Basketball players.
LAST TIME OUT
On Tuesday, St. Cloud State traveled to UMary for a midweek conference clash against the Marauders. After the first five minutes, the game was tied at 10 apiece. UMary used a 13-4 run over the next three minutes to build up a nine-point lead. St. Cloud State would start to find their footing offensively with 9:47 left in the half as they embarked on a 13-6 run to tie the game at 29. Graduate student Luke Taylor (Germantown, Wis.) started the run by grabbing an offensive rebound and scoring a putback layup. Senior Matt Willert (Buffalo, Minn.) capped off the ensuing defensive possession by grabbing a rebound and then used a screen by Taylor to bury a deep three. After the Huskies knotted the game at 29 with 5:35 left in the half, they would go on to finish the half on a 12-4 run to take a 41-33 lead going into halftime. Freshman guard Anish Ramlall (Rosemount, Minn.) closed out the half by splashing home a corner three pointer with six seconds left.
The Marauders did not go away quietly, going on an 8-2 run out of the halftime break. The run brought UMary back within two points at the 13:31 mark. The Huskies responded by pushing the lead back up to 10 points by way of a 12-4 run. Willert finished off the run by stepping back for a three-pointer that caused his defender to fall and drained the shot. UMary responded with a big 14-4 run of its own to tie the game at 59 with 3:47 left in the 2nd half. Freshman Lucas Morgan (Sydney, Australia) briefly broke the tie when he drove into the lane and knocked down a right-handed floater. Following a defensive rebound, Zyon Smith of UMary made a fastbreak layup to knot the game back up with 2:53 remaining causing St. Cloud State to call a timeout. The Huskies needed to score in the clutch, and they went to the hot hand of Willert to take them home. Willert drove into the paint, spun off his defender, and wrapped a left-handed layup around his defender to give the Huskies a two-point lead and Willert 1,000 points in his SCSU career. St. Cloud State forced a turnover on consecutive defensive possessions and had the ball with 1:14 left. On the ensuing offensive possession, Ramlall broke down his defender, drove into the paint and threw a bullet pass to Willert in the corner where he cashed the dagger three-pointer to give the Huskies a five-point lead. The Huskies put the game away by making their free throws late and left Bismarck with a 68-61 victory.
Willert led the Huskies with 16 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and drained three three-pointers in 23 minutes off the bench. Willert has been on fire for the Huskies the past three games as he has exceeded 15 or more points in all three contests and has made three three-pointers in those games. He also became the 46th player in program history to join the 1,000-point club and ended the night with 1,006 points moving him up to No. 45. Morgan recorded his second career double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. The freshman has been a rebounding machine, snatching double digit rebounds in four of the nine games this season. Morgan ranks 11th in the conference in rebounding average with 7.3 per game. Taylor scored in double figures for the seventh consecutive game, tallying 12 points and four rebounds.
SERIES HISTORY
St. Cloud State and Bemidji State will face off for the 154th time this Saturday. The Huskies hold a 105-48 advantage. Last year's matchups saw a split between the two games. St. Cloud State took the first tilt, opening the game on a 10-0 run in the first three minutes. The Beavers brought themselves within four points late in the first half, but SCSU closed the half on an 18-7 run to take a 15-point lead at the break. BSU made multiple runs in the second half, getting themselves within three points, but a 10-0 SCSU run with 8:55 left in the game would all but seal it for the Huskies. St. Cloud State took the game 81-70 after leading for the entire game. Matt Willert scored a game-high 22 points on eight of nine shooting and went two of three from beyond the arc. Luke Taylor was not far behind him, scoring 19 points and grabbing five rebounds.
The second matchup fell in favor of the Beavers as their offense was too much for the Huskies. Bemidji State shot 70% from the field in the first half and were white-hot from three-point land, shooting 10-of-13. Bemidji State did not slow down in the second half as they shot 50% from the field and from three, cruising to a 99-81 victory. Junior guard Dom Aguilar (Fergus, Falls, Minn.) scored 11 points in 16 minutes off the bench. Aguilar shot 4-of-6 from the field and made three of his four three-point attempts. Willert and Taylor each scored nine points.
SCOUTING BEMIDJI STATE
Bemidji State comes into this matchup with a 7-4 record overall and a 3-2 record in conference play. The Beavers snapped a two-game losing streak on Thursday, beating UMary 78-62 after dropping the two previous games to MSU Moorhead (74-82) and Northern State (68-84). The Beavers are currently winless on the road and own a 0-3 mark away from home.
The front court of the Beavers is second to none in the NSIC as junior forward John Sutherland and senior forward Dalton Albrecht are both walking double-doubles – both players are 6-7. Sutherland is fifth in the NSIC in scoring at 20.4 points per game and is second the NSIC in field goal percentage at 59.2%. Sutherland grabs 9.3 rebounds per game, which is right behind his front court partner for best in the NSIC. Albrecht is 11th in the NSIC in scoring at 17.1 points per game and leads the conference in rebounding at 11.3 rebounds per game. Albrecht has recorded a double-double in eight of 11 games this season while Sutherland has recorded four total.
Sutherland was named to the NSIC Shining 5 last week as after averaging 21 points, 10.5 rebounds, and five assists. Two weeks ago, Sutherland was awarded NSIC Player of the Week for his efforts against Minnesota Crookston and Minot State. He averaged 21.5 points and 12 rebounds and made a buzzer beating layup to beat Crookston.
Last year's matchups showcased why Sutherland is one of the best players in the NSIC. The Grand Rapids, Minn. native recorded a double-double in the first game, scoring 18 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Sutherland was also an efficient 9-of-13 from the field. Albrecht was kept off the glass as he only grabbed three rebounds and struggled to score as he was held to seven points on 2-of-11 from the field. The second game saw Sutherland have another dominant outing scoring 21 points, grabbing five rebounds, and dishing out four assists. Albrecht got back on track in the second game scoring 18 points and grabbing six rebounds in the 18-point victory.
Mike Boschee enters his 12th season as the head coach of Bemidji State. Boschee holds an all-time record of 135-159 including a 20-11 record last season. The Beavers made their way to the NSIC semifinals where they lost on a buzzer beater to MSU Moorhead. For the first time in 10 years, Bemidji State reached the semifinals and finished the season ranked ninth in the NCAA Central Region. Prior to Bemidji State, Boschee was the head coach at Central College in Iowa for nine seasons where he posted a 115-115 record.
NEWEST 1,000-POINT CLUB MEMBER
St. Cloud State senior Matt Willert (Buffalo, Minn.) became the 46th member of the St. Cloud State Men's Basketball 1,000-point club in Tuesday's 68-61 win at UMary. Willert scored a game-high 16 points, including six points after he reached 1,000. He ended the night with 1,006 career points, moving him up to No. 45 on the all-time scoring list. Willert has played in 83 games (2,295 minutes) over the past four seasons for the Huskies. He averages 12.1 points per game for his career on 334-of-783 (42.7%) shooting from the field, 161-463 (34.8%) from three and 177-206 (85.9%) from the free throw line.
SHINING STAR
St. Cloud State freshman Lucas Morgan (Sydney, Australia) was named to the NSIC Men's Basketball Shining 5 by the league office on Nov. 11 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.
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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