Friday, January 19
St. Cloud, Minn.
7:30 P.M. CT
St. Cloud State
vs
Wayne State
Photo by: Jason Soria
St. Cloud State Men’s Basketball Gears Up for Weekend Homestand
1/18/2024 1:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Huskies set to host Wayne State and Augustana
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Men's Basketball (7-9 overall, 3-7 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) hosts two Northern Sun opponents this weekend at Halenbeck Hall, taking on Wayne State (11-7, 4-7 NSIC) on Friday and Augustana (10-7, 5-6 NSIC) on Saturday. Friday's game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT and Saturday's game is set for 5:30 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. 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
Friday – Double Points Night – Students who attend the game will receive double points in the SCSU mobile app.
Saturday – Blizzard's Beach Bash.
LAST TIME OUT
St. Cloud State took on Minnesota Duluth last Saturday. Despite trailing 4-0 after the first four minutes of the game, St. Cloud State started to find its offensive footing, scoring on seven of its next nine possessions to force a UMD to take a timeout. Freshman Lucas Morgan (Sydney, Australia) knocked down a three pointer on back-to-back possessions, both coming off assists from graduate student Luke Taylor (Germantown, Wis.). Freshman Jamiir Allen (Milwaukee, Wis.) capped off what a 17-4 Huskies run with back-to-back three-pointers of his own, both coming off assists from freshman Nate Dahl (Buffalo, Minn.) to give St. Cloud State a nine-point lead. The Huskies held the lead for the next seven minutes, but the Bulldogs finished the half with a 12-3 to take a 30-27 lead going into the break.
Despite a rough finish to the half, SCSU kept one of the best offenses in the NSIC in check, forcing the Bulldogs to shoot 34% from the field and 30% from beyond the arc. Offensively, the Huskies shot 37% from the field and 41% from three-point range.
The second half saw eight lead changes in the first three minutes. UMD started to take control, using an 8-2 run to take a 45-37 lead, forcing a St. Cloud State timeout. The Bulldogs continued to build their lead out of the timeout, using a 6-2 run to give them a nine-point lead. St. Cloud State started to chip away with a 5-0 run after freshman Vance Peiffer (Waukee, Iowa) converted an and-one, but UMD nailed back-to-back triples to push its lead right back up to 10-points. Minnesota Duluth maintained a stronghold on its lead but could not put the Huskies away. With 3:05 left in the game, SCSU started an 8-2 run with freshman Anish Ramlall (Rosemount, Minn.) finishing a layup in the paint. Allen knocked down two consecutive jump shots the Huskies continued to put defensive pressure on the Bulldogs and forced a turnover in the backcourt that led to a Morgan layup. St. Cloud State trailed 70-66 with 1:30 left in the game but were unable to maintain its momentum as UMD closed out the game on a 5-0 run to win 75-66.
The Bulldogs found their offensive groove in the second half, shooting 60% from the field with 26 of their 45 points coming in the paint. The Bulldogs stayed aggressive, attacking the paint, getting to the free throw line 16 times in the second half, however they only converted on eight of those attempts. Drew Blair led UMD, scoring a game-high 27 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Austin Andrews scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds for UMD.
Allen led the Huskies in scoring with 15 points while tallying three rebounds and two three-pointers. Allen has now scored double figures in seven consecutive games while cashing a three-pointer in each of those games.
Ramlall was the only other Husky to score double digits, recording 11 points, four assists, and one made three-pointer. The freshman has scored 10+ points in four of his past five games and has dished out 2+ assists in eight consecutive games.
Senior Matt Willert (Buffalo, Minn.) nearly recorded a double-double with seven points and 10 rebounds. Willert also recorded a season-high two steals and made all four of his free throws.
Highlights for both games can be found on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
SERIES HISTORY
Friday's game against Wayne State will serve as the 33rd meeting between the programs. St. Cloud State holds a 25-7 advantage. In last year's matchup at Halenbeck Hall, the Huskies quickly built a 7-2 in the first two and a half minutes of the game. A 15-5 run by the Wildcats over the next five minutes gave them a five-point advantage. WSC held onto its lead for the remainder of the half, going into halftime with a 34-30 lead. The Wildcats burst out of the break, immediately going on a 10-2 run to give it a 44-32 lead. Luke Taylor converted an and-one coming out of a timeout to stop the bleeding, but an 8-0 run by Wayne State pushed its lead to 17 points. The Wildcats led by 14+ points for the remainder of the game and comfortably beat the Huskies 78-61.
Taylor nearly recorded a double-double with 12 points and eight rebounds while also totaling three assists and two steals. Then-sophomore Dom Aguilar (Fergus Falls, Minn.) scored 11 points in 13 minutes off the bench and drilled three of his four three-point attempts.
Saturday's game against Augustana will be the 94th meeting between the teams. The Huskies hold a record of 48-45 over Augie. The Vikings have won five consecutive games against the Huskies including a 90-66 victory last year. St. Cloud State opened the game holding a 6-2 lead after Matt Willert cashed consecutive three-pointers. Augustana embarked on a 10-0 run to take a 12-6 lead with 15:33 left in the half. SCSU stayed within striking distance as then-freshman Andre Renta (Hudson, Wis.) made a pair of free throws to bring St. Cloud State within four points, 17-13. From that point on, the Vikings blew up the game, closing the half on a 25-9 to lead 42-22 after 20 minutes. Augustana led by 14+ points the rest of way on its way to a 90-66 victory.
Then-junior Joe Mutimer (Melbourne, Australia) led the Huskies with 12 points, five assists, a career-high four made three-pointers, three rebounds, and a steal. Then redshirt-freshman Tony Dahl (Buffalo, Minn.) made three of his five three-point attempts on his way to a nine-point, five rebound outing in 16 minutes off the bench.
SCOUTING WAYNE STATE
Wayne State comes into this matchup with an overall record of 11-7 and a conference record of 4-7. The Wildcats are currently in 11th place in the NSIC and have won two consecutive games (Northern State and UMary).
The Wildcats are led by junior forward Trey Deveaux, who transferred from Central Community College in the offseason. Last year, Deveaux earned NJCAA All-America First Team honors after averaging 18.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Deveaux has not skipped a beat against NSIC competition this season – he averages team-highs of 15.3 points and 5.6 rebounds. The Lincoln, Neb. native is shooting 47.5% from the field and 35.7% from beyond the arc in 29.4 minutes of play. Against UMary on Saturday, Deveaux scored a game-high 19 points, grabbed three rebounds and recorded two steals and two blocks.
Sophomore guard Alec Millender is the team's second leading scorer, averaging 12.1 points per game. Millender is currently 9th in the NSIC with 3.4 assists per game. The guard had a stellar weekend for the Wildcats, knocking down the go-ahead shot against Northern State with 4.3 seconds left to give WSC the victory. Millender scored a game-high 21 points and dished out five assists. Against UMary, Millender scored 17 points, recorded six assists and grabbed four rebounds as they won 73-53. Millender was placed on the NSIC Shining 5 this week for his efforts.
Sophomore guard David Harmon is the last Wildcat that averages double-digit points with 11.7 per game. Harmon also averages 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 24.3 minutes of play. The sophomore guard has scored in double-digits in two of his past three games including a 20-point outing against MSU Moorhead.
The Wildcats had a lot of roster turnover in the offseason, losing their four top scorers from a year ago. Millender missed all of last season as a medical redshirt and Harmon averaged 12.6 minutes per game.
Jeff Kaminsky is in his his eighth season with Wayne State and has increased his win total in six of his seven seasons. Wayne State has won three NSIC South Division titles during Kaminsky's tenure and has a record of 109-105. Kaminsky has 36 years of experience as a head coach and has an overall record of 561-72. Before Wayne State, Kaminsky was the head coach of Valley City State, Wisconsin-Superior, and Mid State Technical College.
SCOUTING AUGUSTANA
Augustana heads into this matchup with an overall record of 10-7 and a conference record of 5-6. The Vikings currently sit in 7th place in the NSIC and have won three straight with victories over Minnesota Crookston, UMary, and Northern State.
Graduate student Isaac Fink is the 9th leading scorer in the NSIC, averaging 17.9 points per game and is 7th in the NSIC with 7.5 rebounds per game. Fink shoots 46% from the field, 35% beyond the arc, and 83% from the free throw line. The NSIC awarded Fink NSIC Player of the Week after averaging 15.5 points and 10.4 rebounds in their two wins last weekend. The guard has recorded a double-double in two of his past three games including a 22-point, 12-rebound effort against Northern State.
Senior guard Jadan Graves is right behind Fink in the scoring department, averaging 15 points per game on 48% from the field and 45% from beyond the arc. Graves is 6th in the NSIC with 3.8 assists per game and averages 3.3 rebounds per game. He has scored 15+ points in five of his past eight games including an 18-point, eight-assist outing against Northern State.
Junior guard Akoi Akoi is the team's fourth leading scorer at 8.4 points per game while shooting 45% from the field and a smoking 50% from three-point range. Akoi is second on the team in rebounding with 5.2 per game and is fourth on the team in assists with 1.6 per game. Against Northern State, Akoi scored 12 points in 19 minutes of action.
Against St. Cloud State last year, Fink nearly recorded a double-double with eight points and eight rebounds. Graves did it all for the Vikings with 18 points, four rebounds and assists, three made three-pointers, and three steals. Akoi scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds in the 24-point victory.
Tom Billeter is in his 21st season as the head coach of Augustana and is the program's all-time winningest coach with a record of 369-206. Billeter has compiled quite the résumé as the Vikings head coach as he is a National Champion, two-time National Coach of the Year, two-time NSIC coach of the year, three-time NSIC regular season champion, two-time NSIC Tournament Champion, and has guided Augustana to nine NCAA Tournament appearances. During his tenure, Augustana has exceeded 15 or more wins 16 times. Billeter also spent five seasons as the head coach at North Dakota State where he posted a record of 97-50. Before becoming a head coach, Billeter spent time as an assistant coach at Arizona (under Lute Olson) and St. John's (N.Y.) (under Fran Fraschilla) where he coached notable NBA players such as Sean Elliot, Steve Kerr, Jud Bueschler, and Ron Artest.
Augustana will travel to Bemidji State on Friday to take on the Beavers before traveling to St. Cloud for its matchup against the Huskies on Saturday.
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 tied at No. 37 with 1,077 points. Willert has played in 90 games (2,451 minutes) over the past four seasons for the Huskies. He averages 12.0 points per game for his career on 357-of-843 (42.4%) shooting from the field, 170-497 (34.2%) from three and 193-224 (86.2%) 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 games will be streamed live for free on the NSIC Network (Friday's Stream / Saturday's Stream) 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
Friday – Double Points Night – Students who attend the game will receive double points in the SCSU mobile app.
Saturday – Blizzard's Beach Bash.
LAST TIME OUT
St. Cloud State took on Minnesota Duluth last Saturday. Despite trailing 4-0 after the first four minutes of the game, St. Cloud State started to find its offensive footing, scoring on seven of its next nine possessions to force a UMD to take a timeout. Freshman Lucas Morgan (Sydney, Australia) knocked down a three pointer on back-to-back possessions, both coming off assists from graduate student Luke Taylor (Germantown, Wis.). Freshman Jamiir Allen (Milwaukee, Wis.) capped off what a 17-4 Huskies run with back-to-back three-pointers of his own, both coming off assists from freshman Nate Dahl (Buffalo, Minn.) to give St. Cloud State a nine-point lead. The Huskies held the lead for the next seven minutes, but the Bulldogs finished the half with a 12-3 to take a 30-27 lead going into the break.
Despite a rough finish to the half, SCSU kept one of the best offenses in the NSIC in check, forcing the Bulldogs to shoot 34% from the field and 30% from beyond the arc. Offensively, the Huskies shot 37% from the field and 41% from three-point range.
The second half saw eight lead changes in the first three minutes. UMD started to take control, using an 8-2 run to take a 45-37 lead, forcing a St. Cloud State timeout. The Bulldogs continued to build their lead out of the timeout, using a 6-2 run to give them a nine-point lead. St. Cloud State started to chip away with a 5-0 run after freshman Vance Peiffer (Waukee, Iowa) converted an and-one, but UMD nailed back-to-back triples to push its lead right back up to 10-points. Minnesota Duluth maintained a stronghold on its lead but could not put the Huskies away. With 3:05 left in the game, SCSU started an 8-2 run with freshman Anish Ramlall (Rosemount, Minn.) finishing a layup in the paint. Allen knocked down two consecutive jump shots the Huskies continued to put defensive pressure on the Bulldogs and forced a turnover in the backcourt that led to a Morgan layup. St. Cloud State trailed 70-66 with 1:30 left in the game but were unable to maintain its momentum as UMD closed out the game on a 5-0 run to win 75-66.
The Bulldogs found their offensive groove in the second half, shooting 60% from the field with 26 of their 45 points coming in the paint. The Bulldogs stayed aggressive, attacking the paint, getting to the free throw line 16 times in the second half, however they only converted on eight of those attempts. Drew Blair led UMD, scoring a game-high 27 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Austin Andrews scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds for UMD.
Allen led the Huskies in scoring with 15 points while tallying three rebounds and two three-pointers. Allen has now scored double figures in seven consecutive games while cashing a three-pointer in each of those games.
Ramlall was the only other Husky to score double digits, recording 11 points, four assists, and one made three-pointer. The freshman has scored 10+ points in four of his past five games and has dished out 2+ assists in eight consecutive games.
Senior Matt Willert (Buffalo, Minn.) nearly recorded a double-double with seven points and 10 rebounds. Willert also recorded a season-high two steals and made all four of his free throws.
Highlights for both games can be found on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
SERIES HISTORY
Friday's game against Wayne State will serve as the 33rd meeting between the programs. St. Cloud State holds a 25-7 advantage. In last year's matchup at Halenbeck Hall, the Huskies quickly built a 7-2 in the first two and a half minutes of the game. A 15-5 run by the Wildcats over the next five minutes gave them a five-point advantage. WSC held onto its lead for the remainder of the half, going into halftime with a 34-30 lead. The Wildcats burst out of the break, immediately going on a 10-2 run to give it a 44-32 lead. Luke Taylor converted an and-one coming out of a timeout to stop the bleeding, but an 8-0 run by Wayne State pushed its lead to 17 points. The Wildcats led by 14+ points for the remainder of the game and comfortably beat the Huskies 78-61.
Taylor nearly recorded a double-double with 12 points and eight rebounds while also totaling three assists and two steals. Then-sophomore Dom Aguilar (Fergus Falls, Minn.) scored 11 points in 13 minutes off the bench and drilled three of his four three-point attempts.
Saturday's game against Augustana will be the 94th meeting between the teams. The Huskies hold a record of 48-45 over Augie. The Vikings have won five consecutive games against the Huskies including a 90-66 victory last year. St. Cloud State opened the game holding a 6-2 lead after Matt Willert cashed consecutive three-pointers. Augustana embarked on a 10-0 run to take a 12-6 lead with 15:33 left in the half. SCSU stayed within striking distance as then-freshman Andre Renta (Hudson, Wis.) made a pair of free throws to bring St. Cloud State within four points, 17-13. From that point on, the Vikings blew up the game, closing the half on a 25-9 to lead 42-22 after 20 minutes. Augustana led by 14+ points the rest of way on its way to a 90-66 victory.
Then-junior Joe Mutimer (Melbourne, Australia) led the Huskies with 12 points, five assists, a career-high four made three-pointers, three rebounds, and a steal. Then redshirt-freshman Tony Dahl (Buffalo, Minn.) made three of his five three-point attempts on his way to a nine-point, five rebound outing in 16 minutes off the bench.
SCOUTING WAYNE STATE
Wayne State comes into this matchup with an overall record of 11-7 and a conference record of 4-7. The Wildcats are currently in 11th place in the NSIC and have won two consecutive games (Northern State and UMary).
The Wildcats are led by junior forward Trey Deveaux, who transferred from Central Community College in the offseason. Last year, Deveaux earned NJCAA All-America First Team honors after averaging 18.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Deveaux has not skipped a beat against NSIC competition this season – he averages team-highs of 15.3 points and 5.6 rebounds. The Lincoln, Neb. native is shooting 47.5% from the field and 35.7% from beyond the arc in 29.4 minutes of play. Against UMary on Saturday, Deveaux scored a game-high 19 points, grabbed three rebounds and recorded two steals and two blocks.
Sophomore guard Alec Millender is the team's second leading scorer, averaging 12.1 points per game. Millender is currently 9th in the NSIC with 3.4 assists per game. The guard had a stellar weekend for the Wildcats, knocking down the go-ahead shot against Northern State with 4.3 seconds left to give WSC the victory. Millender scored a game-high 21 points and dished out five assists. Against UMary, Millender scored 17 points, recorded six assists and grabbed four rebounds as they won 73-53. Millender was placed on the NSIC Shining 5 this week for his efforts.
Sophomore guard David Harmon is the last Wildcat that averages double-digit points with 11.7 per game. Harmon also averages 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 24.3 minutes of play. The sophomore guard has scored in double-digits in two of his past three games including a 20-point outing against MSU Moorhead.
The Wildcats had a lot of roster turnover in the offseason, losing their four top scorers from a year ago. Millender missed all of last season as a medical redshirt and Harmon averaged 12.6 minutes per game.
Jeff Kaminsky is in his his eighth season with Wayne State and has increased his win total in six of his seven seasons. Wayne State has won three NSIC South Division titles during Kaminsky's tenure and has a record of 109-105. Kaminsky has 36 years of experience as a head coach and has an overall record of 561-72. Before Wayne State, Kaminsky was the head coach of Valley City State, Wisconsin-Superior, and Mid State Technical College.
SCOUTING AUGUSTANA
Augustana heads into this matchup with an overall record of 10-7 and a conference record of 5-6. The Vikings currently sit in 7th place in the NSIC and have won three straight with victories over Minnesota Crookston, UMary, and Northern State.
Graduate student Isaac Fink is the 9th leading scorer in the NSIC, averaging 17.9 points per game and is 7th in the NSIC with 7.5 rebounds per game. Fink shoots 46% from the field, 35% beyond the arc, and 83% from the free throw line. The NSIC awarded Fink NSIC Player of the Week after averaging 15.5 points and 10.4 rebounds in their two wins last weekend. The guard has recorded a double-double in two of his past three games including a 22-point, 12-rebound effort against Northern State.
Senior guard Jadan Graves is right behind Fink in the scoring department, averaging 15 points per game on 48% from the field and 45% from beyond the arc. Graves is 6th in the NSIC with 3.8 assists per game and averages 3.3 rebounds per game. He has scored 15+ points in five of his past eight games including an 18-point, eight-assist outing against Northern State.
Junior guard Akoi Akoi is the team's fourth leading scorer at 8.4 points per game while shooting 45% from the field and a smoking 50% from three-point range. Akoi is second on the team in rebounding with 5.2 per game and is fourth on the team in assists with 1.6 per game. Against Northern State, Akoi scored 12 points in 19 minutes of action.
Against St. Cloud State last year, Fink nearly recorded a double-double with eight points and eight rebounds. Graves did it all for the Vikings with 18 points, four rebounds and assists, three made three-pointers, and three steals. Akoi scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds in the 24-point victory.
Tom Billeter is in his 21st season as the head coach of Augustana and is the program's all-time winningest coach with a record of 369-206. Billeter has compiled quite the résumé as the Vikings head coach as he is a National Champion, two-time National Coach of the Year, two-time NSIC coach of the year, three-time NSIC regular season champion, two-time NSIC Tournament Champion, and has guided Augustana to nine NCAA Tournament appearances. During his tenure, Augustana has exceeded 15 or more wins 16 times. Billeter also spent five seasons as the head coach at North Dakota State where he posted a record of 97-50. Before becoming a head coach, Billeter spent time as an assistant coach at Arizona (under Lute Olson) and St. John's (N.Y.) (under Fran Fraschilla) where he coached notable NBA players such as Sean Elliot, Steve Kerr, Jud Bueschler, and Ron Artest.
Augustana will travel to Bemidji State on Friday to take on the Beavers before traveling to St. Cloud for its matchup against the Huskies on Saturday.
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 tied at No. 37 with 1,077 points. Willert has played in 90 games (2,451 minutes) over the past four seasons for the Huskies. He averages 12.0 points per game for his career on 357-of-843 (42.4%) shooting from the field, 170-497 (34.2%) from three and 193-224 (86.2%) 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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