Saturday, January 13
St. Cloud, Minn.
1:00 P.M. CT
St. Cloud State
vs
Minnesota Duluth
Photo by: Jason Soria
St. Cloud State Men’s Basketball Readies for “I Have A Dream” Game Against UMD
1/12/2024 4:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Huskies look to get back to .500 on the season
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Men's Basketball (7-8 overall, 3-6 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) hosts (RV) Minnesota Duluth (11-4, 6-3 NSIC) on Saturday afternoon. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Halebeck Hall.
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
"I Have A Dream Game" – Free admission for all of those who bring a non-perishable food item (items will be donated to SCSU campus food pantry). There will be MLK/SCSU t-shirt giveaways and a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. prior to the game.
Hoops & Howls – Tri-County Humane Society will be tabling at the game.
LAST TIME OUT
St. Cloud State opened up their four-game homestand on Wednesday, Jan. 10 by hosting Concordia-St. Paul. The Huskies got off to a slow start and quickly found themselves in a 9-0 hole following an alley-oop dunk by CSP. Freshman Wyatt Hawks (White Bear Lake, Minn.) put St. Cloud on the board, scoring the team's first four points. CSP knocked down a three-pointer to give them a 10-point lead at the 10:10 mark of the first half, but over the next seven minutes St. Cloud State used a 15-4 to capture a 23-22 lead. Despite the slow offensive start, the Huskies held a 25-24 lead at the break.
While the offense was still trying to find its groove, the St. Cloud State defense stepped up, holding the Golden Bears to 35% shooting and limited them to 2-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc. SCSU forced 11 first half turnovers and was able to score 11 points off them, turning defense into offense.
The duo of senior Matt Willert (Buffalo, Minn.) and freshman Anish Ramlall (Rosemount, Minn.) came out of halftime on fire, scoring 17 of the first 19 points for the Huskies as St. Cloud State started to take control of the game. SCSU, held a 44-32 lead, but looked to keep its foot on the gas and freshman Nate Dahl (Buffalo, Minn.) went on a 6-0 run, finishing a fastbreak layup and-one and knocking down a three-pointer to give the Huskies a 50-32 lead. St. Cloud State started the half on an monstrous 32-8 run and held a lead as big as 35 points, cruising to a dominant 86-56 victory Wednesday evening.
The second half offense for St. Cloud State was firing on all cylinders as they shot 56% from the field and a scorching hot 64% from beyond the arc. The Huskies also converted on nine of their 14 three-point attempts. The SCSU defense held CSP to their lowest scoring output of the season at 56 points and was the second lowest number of points allowed by St. Cloud State on the season.
Ramlall was the leading scorer for St. Cloud State with 14 points and tied his career high with four three-pointers made. Ramlall has been a flamethrower for the Huskies, scoring 14 or more points in three of the past four games while tying his career-high of four three-pointers made in three of those four games. The freshman also recorded two assists and a steal.
Nate Dahl had a career night as he set multiple career marks in minutes (20), points (13), rebounds (five), field goals made (four), and three-pointers made (two).
Wyatt Hawks also had a career-night as he tied his career in minutes (19), field goals (five) and free throws (three). Hawks nearly recorded his second career double-double as he set a career-high of 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds. The White Bear Lake native has scored double-digit points in five of his past six games and has snatched 9+ rebounds in three of his past four games.
Freshman Jamiir Allen (Milwaukee, Wis.) had another solid outing off the bench for the Huskies. Allen knocked down five of his eight field goal attempts on his way to an 11-point outing. The freshman also grabbed four rebounds, tied his career-high with three steals, and cashed in a three-pointer. Dating back to his career-night against Bemidji State where he scored 23 points, Allen now has six consecutive games reaching double figures while cashing at least one three in each of those six games. Allen continues his thievery off the bench for the Huskies as he has record 3+ steals in three of his past four games and at least one steal in six of his past seven. The freshman currently ranks 4th in the NSIC with 1.5 steals per game.
Willert was the final Husky that scored in double-digits as he notched 11 points and set season-highs with seven rebounds and three assists. Willert also drained both of his three-point attempts and has now made a three-pointer in five consecutive games. After a slow start to the season, the senior has gotten into a rhythm as a scorer as he has exceeded 10 points in seven of his past 10 games.
Highlights for both games can be found on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's game against Minnesota Duluth will mark the 103rd meeting between the programs. SCSU holds a 60-42 advantage. The Bulldogs, however, have taken the past three meetings including two thrilling games last year.
At Halenbeck Hall in the first matchup last season, UMD jumped out to an early 9-2 lead five minutes into the game, but the Huskies used a 31-10 run over the next 10 minutes to take a 33-19 lead. The Bulldogs slowly started to chip away the rest of the half and used a 9-0 run in the final 72 seconds of the period to take a 39-38 lead at the break. The two teams battled back and forth for most of the second half, but UMD surged to an eight-point lead with three minutes and 36 seconds remaining in the game. Then-senior Luke Taylor (Germantown, Wis.) embarked on 5-0 run finishing two layups, one of which he was fouled and converted the and-one. St. Cloud tied the game at the free throw line, but Duluth retook the lead moments later, making two free throws of their own. Matt Willert nailed a jump shot to tie the game at 83 with 82 seconds remaining. Each team went on to make two more free throws to tie the game at 85 and Willert missed the potential game-winning three-point attempt, and the game was sent into overtime. The extra time would be all Bulldogs as they outscored the Huskies 9-4 to come away with a 94-89 victory. St. Cloud State only made two of their seven field goal attempts in the period.
Willert was the Huskies leading scorer with 18 points and recorded three three-pointers, three rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Taylor was right behind Willert in the scoring department finishing the game with 17 points, five rebounds, two made threes and assists, and a steal.
The second game followed a similar script to the first game as UMD jumped out to early 16-8 lead at the 14:51 mark of the first half. Duluth held the lead for multiple minutes, but St. Cloud State rallied from the deficit with a 10-2 run to tie the game at 22. The Bulldogs surged again in the final minutes of the first half, cashing a three-pointer with four seconds remaining to lead 42-36 at halftime. The two teams continued to battle back and forth in the second half, but the Huskies gained the lead late after Willert drained a three and then finished a layup to give St. Cloud a 67-60 advantage with 4:44 remaining in the game. The Bulldogs ferociously tried to claw back into the game with a 9-2 run but went on to miss a game-winning three-pointer with 18 seconds remaining as the game was tied at 69. With a chance to win the game, the Huskies turned the ball over and for the second time on the season, the game went into overtime. The game bounced back and forth during the extra time and was tied at 78 after then-junior Joe Mutimer (Melbourne, Australia) finished a layup with 40 seconds remaining. UMD took the lead, nailing a jump shot with 32 seconds remaining. SCSU missed a three-pointer on their ensuing possession and UMD finished the game off with a thunderous dunk, going on to win 84-80 in another nail-biting game.
Willert and Taylor each scored 15 points, grabbed six rebounds, and recorded one steal. Willert also dished out four assists and blocked one shot while Taylor blocked two shots and had two assists.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA DULUTH
The Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs come into this matchup having lost two of their past three games, but still hold an 11-4 record overall and a 6-3 conference record. Despite the recent hiccup, Duluth still sits in 4th place in the NSIC with the second most conference wins. UMD had very little turnover in the offseason, returning all five starters this year as well as two key contributors off the bench.
Graduate student Drew Blair once again leads the Bulldogs, averaging 20.1 points per game on 44% from the field and 33% from three-point range. The guard currently ranks fifth in the NSIC in points per game and has scored the second most total points in the conference. Blair is also second on the team in rebounding and assists with 5.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists and leads the team with 1.5 steals per game.
Senior forward Charlie Katona comes into this game averaging 12.9 points per game along with five rebounds, and 1.7 assists. Katona shoots an efficient 55% from the field and has scored double-digit points in four consecutive games including a season high 20 points against Mankato.
Senior guard Joshua Brown is the final Bulldog that scores in double figures with an average of 12 points per game. Brown leads the team with 5.7 rebounds per game while shooting 47% from the field and 34% from beyond the arc. Brown has scored in double-digits in six of his past eight games including a season-high 23 points against Southwest Minnesota State.
In the first game against St. Cloud last season, Blair torched the Huskies with 38 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Blair also went a perfect eight of eight from the free throw line and cashed six of his 13 three-point attempts. Katona was the second leading scorer with 13 points while also recording two steals and a block. Brown put up a double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists.
The second game saw Blair put up another monster stat line as he scored 39 points, grabbed nine rebounds, cashed seven threes, dished four assists, and recorded two steals. Katona nearly registered a double-double with 12 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. Brown also scored in double-figures with 14 points and five rebounds.
Head coach Justin Wieck is in his sixth season with the Bulldogs. Wieck has posted a record of 107-46 while exceeding 17 wins in four of his five seasons. The Bulldogs have reached the NCAA Tournament for two consecutive seasons including an Elite Eight appearance last year after posting a 26-10 record. Prior to his time at Duluth, Wieck was an assistant coach at Minnesota State Moorhead for four seasons, a head coach at the University of Jamestown for two seasons, and a two-year stint with Northern State.
1,000-POINTS (& COUNTING)
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 the 68-61 win at UMary on December 12. 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. He current sits at No. 38 with 1,070 points. Willert has played in 89 games (2,425 minutes) over the past four seasons for the Huskies. He averages 12.0 points per game for his career on 356-of-833 (42.7%) shooting from the field, 169-487 (34.7%) from three and 189-220 (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
"I Have A Dream Game" – Free admission for all of those who bring a non-perishable food item (items will be donated to SCSU campus food pantry). There will be MLK/SCSU t-shirt giveaways and a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. prior to the game.
Hoops & Howls – Tri-County Humane Society will be tabling at the game.
LAST TIME OUT
St. Cloud State opened up their four-game homestand on Wednesday, Jan. 10 by hosting Concordia-St. Paul. The Huskies got off to a slow start and quickly found themselves in a 9-0 hole following an alley-oop dunk by CSP. Freshman Wyatt Hawks (White Bear Lake, Minn.) put St. Cloud on the board, scoring the team's first four points. CSP knocked down a three-pointer to give them a 10-point lead at the 10:10 mark of the first half, but over the next seven minutes St. Cloud State used a 15-4 to capture a 23-22 lead. Despite the slow offensive start, the Huskies held a 25-24 lead at the break.
While the offense was still trying to find its groove, the St. Cloud State defense stepped up, holding the Golden Bears to 35% shooting and limited them to 2-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc. SCSU forced 11 first half turnovers and was able to score 11 points off them, turning defense into offense.
The duo of senior Matt Willert (Buffalo, Minn.) and freshman Anish Ramlall (Rosemount, Minn.) came out of halftime on fire, scoring 17 of the first 19 points for the Huskies as St. Cloud State started to take control of the game. SCSU, held a 44-32 lead, but looked to keep its foot on the gas and freshman Nate Dahl (Buffalo, Minn.) went on a 6-0 run, finishing a fastbreak layup and-one and knocking down a three-pointer to give the Huskies a 50-32 lead. St. Cloud State started the half on an monstrous 32-8 run and held a lead as big as 35 points, cruising to a dominant 86-56 victory Wednesday evening.
The second half offense for St. Cloud State was firing on all cylinders as they shot 56% from the field and a scorching hot 64% from beyond the arc. The Huskies also converted on nine of their 14 three-point attempts. The SCSU defense held CSP to their lowest scoring output of the season at 56 points and was the second lowest number of points allowed by St. Cloud State on the season.
Ramlall was the leading scorer for St. Cloud State with 14 points and tied his career high with four three-pointers made. Ramlall has been a flamethrower for the Huskies, scoring 14 or more points in three of the past four games while tying his career-high of four three-pointers made in three of those four games. The freshman also recorded two assists and a steal.
Nate Dahl had a career night as he set multiple career marks in minutes (20), points (13), rebounds (five), field goals made (four), and three-pointers made (two).
Wyatt Hawks also had a career-night as he tied his career in minutes (19), field goals (five) and free throws (three). Hawks nearly recorded his second career double-double as he set a career-high of 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds. The White Bear Lake native has scored double-digit points in five of his past six games and has snatched 9+ rebounds in three of his past four games.
Freshman Jamiir Allen (Milwaukee, Wis.) had another solid outing off the bench for the Huskies. Allen knocked down five of his eight field goal attempts on his way to an 11-point outing. The freshman also grabbed four rebounds, tied his career-high with three steals, and cashed in a three-pointer. Dating back to his career-night against Bemidji State where he scored 23 points, Allen now has six consecutive games reaching double figures while cashing at least one three in each of those six games. Allen continues his thievery off the bench for the Huskies as he has record 3+ steals in three of his past four games and at least one steal in six of his past seven. The freshman currently ranks 4th in the NSIC with 1.5 steals per game.
Willert was the final Husky that scored in double-digits as he notched 11 points and set season-highs with seven rebounds and three assists. Willert also drained both of his three-point attempts and has now made a three-pointer in five consecutive games. After a slow start to the season, the senior has gotten into a rhythm as a scorer as he has exceeded 10 points in seven of his past 10 games.
Highlights for both games can be found on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's game against Minnesota Duluth will mark the 103rd meeting between the programs. SCSU holds a 60-42 advantage. The Bulldogs, however, have taken the past three meetings including two thrilling games last year.
At Halenbeck Hall in the first matchup last season, UMD jumped out to an early 9-2 lead five minutes into the game, but the Huskies used a 31-10 run over the next 10 minutes to take a 33-19 lead. The Bulldogs slowly started to chip away the rest of the half and used a 9-0 run in the final 72 seconds of the period to take a 39-38 lead at the break. The two teams battled back and forth for most of the second half, but UMD surged to an eight-point lead with three minutes and 36 seconds remaining in the game. Then-senior Luke Taylor (Germantown, Wis.) embarked on 5-0 run finishing two layups, one of which he was fouled and converted the and-one. St. Cloud tied the game at the free throw line, but Duluth retook the lead moments later, making two free throws of their own. Matt Willert nailed a jump shot to tie the game at 83 with 82 seconds remaining. Each team went on to make two more free throws to tie the game at 85 and Willert missed the potential game-winning three-point attempt, and the game was sent into overtime. The extra time would be all Bulldogs as they outscored the Huskies 9-4 to come away with a 94-89 victory. St. Cloud State only made two of their seven field goal attempts in the period.
Willert was the Huskies leading scorer with 18 points and recorded three three-pointers, three rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Taylor was right behind Willert in the scoring department finishing the game with 17 points, five rebounds, two made threes and assists, and a steal.
The second game followed a similar script to the first game as UMD jumped out to early 16-8 lead at the 14:51 mark of the first half. Duluth held the lead for multiple minutes, but St. Cloud State rallied from the deficit with a 10-2 run to tie the game at 22. The Bulldogs surged again in the final minutes of the first half, cashing a three-pointer with four seconds remaining to lead 42-36 at halftime. The two teams continued to battle back and forth in the second half, but the Huskies gained the lead late after Willert drained a three and then finished a layup to give St. Cloud a 67-60 advantage with 4:44 remaining in the game. The Bulldogs ferociously tried to claw back into the game with a 9-2 run but went on to miss a game-winning three-pointer with 18 seconds remaining as the game was tied at 69. With a chance to win the game, the Huskies turned the ball over and for the second time on the season, the game went into overtime. The game bounced back and forth during the extra time and was tied at 78 after then-junior Joe Mutimer (Melbourne, Australia) finished a layup with 40 seconds remaining. UMD took the lead, nailing a jump shot with 32 seconds remaining. SCSU missed a three-pointer on their ensuing possession and UMD finished the game off with a thunderous dunk, going on to win 84-80 in another nail-biting game.
Willert and Taylor each scored 15 points, grabbed six rebounds, and recorded one steal. Willert also dished out four assists and blocked one shot while Taylor blocked two shots and had two assists.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA DULUTH
The Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs come into this matchup having lost two of their past three games, but still hold an 11-4 record overall and a 6-3 conference record. Despite the recent hiccup, Duluth still sits in 4th place in the NSIC with the second most conference wins. UMD had very little turnover in the offseason, returning all five starters this year as well as two key contributors off the bench.
Graduate student Drew Blair once again leads the Bulldogs, averaging 20.1 points per game on 44% from the field and 33% from three-point range. The guard currently ranks fifth in the NSIC in points per game and has scored the second most total points in the conference. Blair is also second on the team in rebounding and assists with 5.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists and leads the team with 1.5 steals per game.
Senior forward Charlie Katona comes into this game averaging 12.9 points per game along with five rebounds, and 1.7 assists. Katona shoots an efficient 55% from the field and has scored double-digit points in four consecutive games including a season high 20 points against Mankato.
Senior guard Joshua Brown is the final Bulldog that scores in double figures with an average of 12 points per game. Brown leads the team with 5.7 rebounds per game while shooting 47% from the field and 34% from beyond the arc. Brown has scored in double-digits in six of his past eight games including a season-high 23 points against Southwest Minnesota State.
In the first game against St. Cloud last season, Blair torched the Huskies with 38 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Blair also went a perfect eight of eight from the free throw line and cashed six of his 13 three-point attempts. Katona was the second leading scorer with 13 points while also recording two steals and a block. Brown put up a double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists.
The second game saw Blair put up another monster stat line as he scored 39 points, grabbed nine rebounds, cashed seven threes, dished four assists, and recorded two steals. Katona nearly registered a double-double with 12 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. Brown also scored in double-figures with 14 points and five rebounds.
Head coach Justin Wieck is in his sixth season with the Bulldogs. Wieck has posted a record of 107-46 while exceeding 17 wins in four of his five seasons. The Bulldogs have reached the NCAA Tournament for two consecutive seasons including an Elite Eight appearance last year after posting a 26-10 record. Prior to his time at Duluth, Wieck was an assistant coach at Minnesota State Moorhead for four seasons, a head coach at the University of Jamestown for two seasons, and a two-year stint with Northern State.
1,000-POINTS (& COUNTING)
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 the 68-61 win at UMary on December 12. 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. He current sits at No. 38 with 1,070 points. Willert has played in 89 games (2,425 minutes) over the past four seasons for the Huskies. He averages 12.0 points per game for his career on 356-of-833 (42.7%) shooting from the field, 169-487 (34.7%) from three and 189-220 (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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