Friday, February 16
St. Cloud, Minn.
7:30 P.M. CT
St. Cloud State
vs
Southwest Minnesota State
Photo by: Kaitlyn Zuehl
St. Cloud State Men’s Basketball Looks to Continue Late Season Push in Final Regular Season Home Games
2/15/2024 5:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Huskies welcome SMSU Friday, USF Saturday
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Men's Basketball (11-13, 7-11 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) plays its final two regular season games at Halenbeck Hall this weekend, hosting Southwest Minnesota State (14-10, 11-7 NSIC) on Friday and Sioux Falls (12-12, 9-9 NSIC) on Saturday. Tipoff for Friday's game is set for 7:30 p.m. and Saturday's game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT.
FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
Tickets to both games are available at scsutickets.com and the programs are available online (Friday's program / Saturday's program). 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 audio broadcast and the livestream for both games. 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 – Fan Appreciation Day – There will be free-entry raffles at halftime of the game.
Saturday – Senior Day – The team's four seniors (Joe Mutimer, Craig Steele, Luke Taylor and Matt Willert) will be honored before the game, so show up early to your support for this special group of Huskies.
LAST TIME OUT
Last week, St. Cloud State played a home, road split, hosting UMary Thursday and traveling to Minot State Sunday. The first five minutes against UMary was tight and neither team was able to get much of a lead. The Huskies were trailing 10-7, when senior Matt Willert (Buffalo, Minn.) spun off his defender on the left wing and finished with a two-handed slam, giving SCSU some momentum. UMary knocked down a three-pointer on its ensuing possession, but St. Cloud State took control of the game after responding with an 18-0 run. Freshman Anish Ramlall (Rosemount, Minn.) cashed two three-pointers during the run to give the Huskies a 27-13 lead. The Huskies ended up taking a 34-21 lead into halftime after a flush by freshman Wyatt Hawks (White Bear Lake, Minn.) on a fastbreak. St. Cloud State held UMary scoreless for the final 5:18 of the first half.
The Huskies defense stepped up in the first 20 minutes, holding the Marauders to 26% shooting from the field and 28% from beyond the arc. SCSU also forced UMary into six first half turnovers. On the offensive end, the Huskies shot 43% from the field and 30% from three.
The start of the second half saw UMary burst out of the gates with a 10-3 run bring itself within six. The next few minutes went back-and-forth, but the Marauders could not get itself closer than six points. With the Huskies leading 42-36, graduate student Luke Taylor (Germantown, Wis.) went to work in the paint and made consecutive finishes at the rim, both times off Ramlall assists. St. Cloud State continued its run as senior Joe Mutimer (Melbourne, Australia) cashed a corner three off another assist by Ramlall and then drained another triple to cap off a 10-2 run for the Huskies. St. Cloud State led 52-38 with 10:12 left in the game and led by 10+ points the rest of the way. The Huskies went on to win 75-61 for their 10th win of the season. SCSU was aggressive in the second half offensively and reaped the benefits at the free throw line, making 17 of its 19 attempts.
Freshman Lucas Morgan (Sydney, Australia) led the Huskies in scoring with 13 points while setting a career-high of six free throw makes. Morgan also recorded six rebounds and an assist in 27 minutes of play. It was the 11th time this season that Morgan has grabbed 6+ rebounds. Ramlall scored 12 points, making three of his six three-point attempts. The freshman also recorded three assists and two rebounds in 29 minutes. Ramlall has now scored 12+ points in nine games this season, dished out 3+ assists in 10 and drained 3+ threes in six games. Willert also scored 12 points in 19 minutes off the bench. He shot 50% from the field and made two three-pointers while grabbing five rebounds. It was the 8th game this season where Willert scored 12+ points.
The Huskies got off to a sluggish start in Sunday's game at Minot State, going scoreless for the first four minutes of the game but only trailed 7-2. St. Cloud State quickly made-up ground with consecutive three's by Mutimer and Willert to bring itself within three. The Beavers worked quickly to build up a lead, going on a 7-0 run over the next two minutes to extend its lead to 10. Minot State maintained control for most of the first half and held a 15-point lead with just under six minutes left in the half. Despite the lead, St. Cloud State closed the half on a 14-4 run, including an 8-0 run, and trailed 36-31 at the break. During the run, the Huskies knocked down three three-pointers with makes by Mutimer, graduate student Craig Steele (Portage, Wis.) and Ramlall. Hawks scored the remaining five points as the Huskies went into halftime with momentum in their favor.
The Huskies shot 37% from the field in the first half but made six of their 13 three-point attempts. Minot State shot 45% from the field, but only connected on two of its 11 three-point attempts.
St. Cloud State cut the deficit to three-points early in the second half after Ramlall drained a three-pointer. MISU started to build up another lead after going on a 9-2 run, going up 48-38 with 15 minutes left in the game. The Beavers built their lead up to 13 points with 11:23 remaining. The Huskies fought back with a 6-0 run that was capped off by a Hawks baseline jumper, but the Beavers countered with an 11-2 run of its own that included a demoralizing three-point make by Jaxson Gunville that was intended as a pass. The unintentional basket gave Minot State a 68-52 lead with 5:50 left in the game.
Morgan quickly countered the three-point gift of the Beavers with a three-pointer of his own, giving the Huskies life. Freshman Jamiir Allen (Milwaukee, Wis.) finished consecutive layups at the rim, one after he ripped the ball away from Caleb Van De Griend and took it coast to coast. St. Cloud State forced another miss and Morgan finished a layup on the other end, leading to a timeout by Minot State with the Huskies now only trailing by seven with just under four minutes remaining. Coming out of the timeout, Minot State missed a layup which led to a huge three by freshman Nate Dahl (Buffalo, Minn.) off an assist by Ramlall, cutting the lead to four. Allen finished another layup to cut the lead to two with two minutes remaining. On the ensuing possession, Ramlall picked the pocket of Connor Hollenbeck and passed it ahead to Morgan who finished the fastbreak layup, tying the game at 68 with 1:43 remaining. With 48 ticks on the clock, Wyatt Hawks was fouled on a layup. He made both free throws, giving the Huskies a 70-68 advantage, their first lead of the game. The Beavers went in desperation mode and Hollenbeck missed another layup. Allen grabbed the rebound and was fouled. The freshman made one of his two attempts, pushing the lead to three-points with 27 seconds left. Now in need of a three-pointer, Nate Dahl and the Huskies turned up the heat on defense and forced a tough three-point attempt by Jalen Cook which missed. Dahl came away with the rebound and was fouled. Dahl, needing to make just one free throw to virtually put the game away, made the first free throw to give the Huskies a four-point lead with 12 seconds left. The Huskies forced another miss to come away with a 72-68 win, stunning the 15th ranked Minot State Beavers on their home floor. Over the final 5:50, St. Cloud State went on a 20-0 run to escape with the victory. The Huskies put on the clamps in the final stretch, forcing Minot State into 10 missed shots and two turnovers.
Hawks scored a game-and-career-high 17 points while grabbing a game-high eight rebounds. The freshman shot 6-of-10 from the field and made all five of his free throws, a career-high. Hawks has now grabbed 8+ rebounds in seven games this season and has scored 10+ points in 10 games this season including four of his past five games. Morgan was the only other Husky to score in double-digits as he recorded 13 points and four rebounds. The Australian also shot a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line in a career-high 33 minutes of action. Nate Dahl finished the game with seven points and six rebounds while making two of his three three-point attempts, tying his career-high.
Highlights from both games can be found on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
St. Cloud State Team Stats (NSIC Rank)
Friday's matchup against Southwest Minnesota State will be the 66th meeting between the programs and the Huskies hold a 41-24 advantage. The Mustangs have won the past two games including their matchup this season in Marshall.
St. Cloud State held a lead as big as three-points in the first eight minutes of the game earlier this season. SMSU rallied from that deficit with a 9-0 run to take a 21-15 lead. The Mustangs held that lead for the rest of the half and took a 38-31advantage into halftime.
St. Cloud State struggled offensively only shooting 36% from the field and 33% from three-point range. Despite the low three-point percentage, St. Cloud State made six threes' to SMSU's two, keeping it within striking distance.
The Huskies opened the second half on fire as they used a 13-6 run to tie the game at 44 – Matt Willert scored seven of those points. St. Cloud State continued to battle throughout the second half, but SMSU pulled away with an 11-0 run over a four-minute stretch to all but seal the fate of the Huskies. The Mustangs continued to stretch its lead and came away with an 86-75 victory.
Lucas Morgan led the Huskies in scoring with 15 points and dished out four assists, grabbed two rebounds and made two three-pointers. Willert scored 14 points, grabbed five rebounds and recorded a steal in 25 minutes in a starting role. Wyatt Hawks nearly put up a double-double as he scored 11 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Hawks knocked down his first career three-pointer for the Huskies and recorded five offensive rebounds.
Saturday's game against Sioux Falls will be the 20th meeting between the two teams and SCSU holds a 13-6 advantage. Sioux Falls, however, has won the past four matchups, including the game in Sioux Falls, S.D. earlier this season.
St. Cloud State forced an early Sioux Falls timeout in the game this season, after jumping out to a 9-2 lead. Anish Ramlall, Morgan and Luke Taylor all cashed a three-pointer. USF's Shawn Warrior went on a 7-0 run by himself to tie the game at nine. Warrior scored the first nine points for Sioux Falls. The Huskies responded with a 12-2 run – Jamiir Allen scored seven of the 12 points. St. Cloud State held a 21-11 lead with 12:58 left in the first half and continued to hold the lead until Sioux Falls closed out the half on a 13-7 run to take a 44-43 lead going into halftime.
Offensively, the Huskies were on fire, shooting 50% from the field and knocking down six of their 10 three-point attempts. Sioux Falls also shot above 50% from the field, but only shot 28% from beyond the arc. The Cougars got to the free throw line 10 times and capitalized on eight of those attempts.
St. Cloud State opened the second half with an 11-4 run to take a six-point lead with 15:33 left in the game. The Cougars did not go away, battling back to tie the game at 65 with 10:28 remaining. A thunderous dunk by Taylor and a three-pointer by Willert gave the Huskies a five-point lead, but that marked the beginning of the end for the Huskies because over the next seven minutes, Sioux Falls went on a 15-0 run to close out the game and take a 92-83 victory.
The offense was firing on all cylinders for the Huskies in most of the second half, shooting 40% from the field and 53% from three-point range, but eight turnovers gave Sioux Falls the edge. Those eight turnovers led to 11 points for the Cougars. Sioux Falls was able to get to the free throw line 22 times in the second half and converted on 18 of those attempts.
Ramlall led St. Cloud State with 18 points, four made three-pointers, three assists and three steals. The 18 points by the freshman was his second highest scoring output of the season and tied his career high in three-point makes. He also set a career high in steals. Morgan had a solid all-around game with 13-points, five rebounds, three assists and converted on five of his six free throw attempts. Taylor scored 13 points, snatched four rebounds and made all three of his three-point attempts in 20 minutes of play. The three-point makes were a season high for Taylor and is the second game this season where he has made multiple three-pointers.
SCOUTING SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
Southwest Minnesota State comes into this matchup posting a 14-10 record with an 11-7 conference record, placing them fifth in the NSIC. Last weekend, the Mustangs split their two games as they were defeated 62-70 on Friday by Minnesota Duluth but beat Concordia-St. Paul 87-64 on Saturday.
Senior Jake Phipps leads SMSU with 15.5 points per game on 55% from the field and 30% from three. Phipps also averages a team-high 6.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. The senior has scored 15+ points in five of his past six games including a 23-point performance against Minnesota State.
Freshman Aeron Stevens is the second leading scorer for SMSU as he averages 12.3 points per game on 47% from the field and 31% from beyond the arc. Stevens is the third leading rebounder on the team with 4.8 pr game. The freshman has been held below his scoring average in four of the past five games, but recently scored a season-high 27 points against Winona State.
Senior Cliff Cofield is the third Mustang to score in double-digits with 11.8 points per game on 47% from the field and 39% from three-point range. Cofield also averages four rebounds per game, is 5th in the NSIC with 3.7 assists per game and leads the NSIC with 1.8 steals per game. Prior to his 23-point outing against Concordia-St. Paul, Cofield had been held under 10 points in seven consecutive games.
Junior Dunwa Omot is the final SMSU player to score in double-digits with an average of 10.6 points per game with shooting splits of 45% from the field and 39% from beyond the arc. Omot also averages 2.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and one steal. Omot has scored 10+ points in three of the past five games with 13 points against Northern State.
Against SCSU on January 6, the quartet of Mustangs had their way with the Huskies with all four-scoring 15+ points. Phipps led the way with a game-high 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting while grabbing six rebounds. Omot stuffed the stat sheet for SMSU has he scored 20 points, registered three blocks, made three three-pointers, recorded two assists, two rebounds and two steals. Stevens scored 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting while grabbing six rebounds and recording two assists and blocks. Cofield scored 15 points, dished out five assists and nabbed three steals.
Brad Bigler is in his 15th season with Southwest Minnesota State and is the program's all-time winningest coach. His record leading the Mustangs is 235-187. Bigler is a two-time NSIC Coach of the Year recipient as he was awarded the honor in the 2012-2013 season as well as the 2016-2017 season. Bigler has recorded double-digit victories in all but two of his 15 seasons and has exceeded 13 wins in 10 of those seasons including 16 wins last year. In 19 career matchups with St. Cloud State, Bigler has a record of 9-11.
Southwest Minnesota State Team Stats (NSIC Rank)
The Sioux Falls Cougars come into the matchup with the Huskies posting a 12-12 record and a 9-9 conference record, placing them eighth in the NSIC standings. The Cougars have lost three of their past four games with losses to Winona State, Minnesota State and Minnesota Duluth. All those losses have been close – seven points or less. USF defeated Concordia-St. Paul 76-67 last Friday.
Senior guard Jack Thompson leads the Cougars with 15.5 points per game while shooting 42% from the field and 37% from beyond the arc. Thompson leads the NSIC with 4.3 assists per game and averages 3.3 rebounds and one steal. The senior has scored 10+ points in eight consecutive games including a 34-point performance against MSU Moorhead, a 25-point outing against Northern State and a 20-point output against Winona State.
Junior Shawn Warrior is the only other Cougar to score in double-digits as he averages 10.7 points on 48% shooting from the field and 41% from beyond the arc. Warrior is the team's second leading rebounder with 5.5 per game and also averages one steal. The junior has scored 16+ points in consecutive games as he scored 16 points against Concordia-St. Paul and 18 against Duluth this past weekend.
Junior Noah Puetz sits at an average of 9.9 points per game on 43% from the field. Puetz is the team's third leading rebounder with 4.5 per game and is second on the team in assists with 2.3 per game. Puetz has scored 10+ points in four of his past six games including a 21-point outing against Northern State and a 19-point performance against Concordia-St. Paul.
Against St. Cloud State on January 5, Thompson led the way with 22 points on 50% shooting. Thompson also recorded four assists, three rebounds, a block and a steal. Warrior was right behind Thompson in scoring with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting while grabbing six rebounds. Puetz nearly recorded a double-double with 15 points and eight rebounds.
Chris Johnson is in his 16th season as the Head Coach of the Cougars. Johnson is the program's all-time leader in wins with 274 victories to 196 losses and was recently awarded NSIC Coach of the Year in the 2019-2020 season for leading the Cougars to a 22-8 record. During his tenure with Sioux Falls, Johnson has recorded six 20-win seasons and has only four seasons with less than 15 victories including a 19-11 record last season.
Sioux Falls will take on Bemidji State on Friday, Feb. 16 before playing the Huskies on Saturday. The Cougars have a record of 4-6 on the road this season.
Sioux Falls Team Stats (NSIC Rank)
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.
Willert current sits at No. 33 with 1,145 points. He is five points away from being No. 32. He has played in 98 games (2,589 minutes) over the past four seasons for the Huskies. He averages 11.7 points per game for his career on 379-of-902 (42.0%) shooting from the field, 187-544 (34.4%) from three and 200-232 (86.2%) from the free throw line.
WILLERT WATCH
In addition to working his way up the all-time scoring list, senior Matt Willert is third on the career free throw percentage list (86.2%), 11th on the career three-point makes list (187) and 19th on the career blocks list (52). He made eight three pointers at Minnesota Crookston earlier this season, missing out on the single game record by one.
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 both games are available at scsutickets.com and the programs are available online (Friday's program / Saturday's program). 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 audio broadcast and the livestream for both games. 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 – Fan Appreciation Day – There will be free-entry raffles at halftime of the game.
Saturday – Senior Day – The team's four seniors (Joe Mutimer, Craig Steele, Luke Taylor and Matt Willert) will be honored before the game, so show up early to your support for this special group of Huskies.
LAST TIME OUT
Last week, St. Cloud State played a home, road split, hosting UMary Thursday and traveling to Minot State Sunday. The first five minutes against UMary was tight and neither team was able to get much of a lead. The Huskies were trailing 10-7, when senior Matt Willert (Buffalo, Minn.) spun off his defender on the left wing and finished with a two-handed slam, giving SCSU some momentum. UMary knocked down a three-pointer on its ensuing possession, but St. Cloud State took control of the game after responding with an 18-0 run. Freshman Anish Ramlall (Rosemount, Minn.) cashed two three-pointers during the run to give the Huskies a 27-13 lead. The Huskies ended up taking a 34-21 lead into halftime after a flush by freshman Wyatt Hawks (White Bear Lake, Minn.) on a fastbreak. St. Cloud State held UMary scoreless for the final 5:18 of the first half.
The Huskies defense stepped up in the first 20 minutes, holding the Marauders to 26% shooting from the field and 28% from beyond the arc. SCSU also forced UMary into six first half turnovers. On the offensive end, the Huskies shot 43% from the field and 30% from three.
The start of the second half saw UMary burst out of the gates with a 10-3 run bring itself within six. The next few minutes went back-and-forth, but the Marauders could not get itself closer than six points. With the Huskies leading 42-36, graduate student Luke Taylor (Germantown, Wis.) went to work in the paint and made consecutive finishes at the rim, both times off Ramlall assists. St. Cloud State continued its run as senior Joe Mutimer (Melbourne, Australia) cashed a corner three off another assist by Ramlall and then drained another triple to cap off a 10-2 run for the Huskies. St. Cloud State led 52-38 with 10:12 left in the game and led by 10+ points the rest of the way. The Huskies went on to win 75-61 for their 10th win of the season. SCSU was aggressive in the second half offensively and reaped the benefits at the free throw line, making 17 of its 19 attempts.
Freshman Lucas Morgan (Sydney, Australia) led the Huskies in scoring with 13 points while setting a career-high of six free throw makes. Morgan also recorded six rebounds and an assist in 27 minutes of play. It was the 11th time this season that Morgan has grabbed 6+ rebounds. Ramlall scored 12 points, making three of his six three-point attempts. The freshman also recorded three assists and two rebounds in 29 minutes. Ramlall has now scored 12+ points in nine games this season, dished out 3+ assists in 10 and drained 3+ threes in six games. Willert also scored 12 points in 19 minutes off the bench. He shot 50% from the field and made two three-pointers while grabbing five rebounds. It was the 8th game this season where Willert scored 12+ points.
The Huskies got off to a sluggish start in Sunday's game at Minot State, going scoreless for the first four minutes of the game but only trailed 7-2. St. Cloud State quickly made-up ground with consecutive three's by Mutimer and Willert to bring itself within three. The Beavers worked quickly to build up a lead, going on a 7-0 run over the next two minutes to extend its lead to 10. Minot State maintained control for most of the first half and held a 15-point lead with just under six minutes left in the half. Despite the lead, St. Cloud State closed the half on a 14-4 run, including an 8-0 run, and trailed 36-31 at the break. During the run, the Huskies knocked down three three-pointers with makes by Mutimer, graduate student Craig Steele (Portage, Wis.) and Ramlall. Hawks scored the remaining five points as the Huskies went into halftime with momentum in their favor.
The Huskies shot 37% from the field in the first half but made six of their 13 three-point attempts. Minot State shot 45% from the field, but only connected on two of its 11 three-point attempts.
St. Cloud State cut the deficit to three-points early in the second half after Ramlall drained a three-pointer. MISU started to build up another lead after going on a 9-2 run, going up 48-38 with 15 minutes left in the game. The Beavers built their lead up to 13 points with 11:23 remaining. The Huskies fought back with a 6-0 run that was capped off by a Hawks baseline jumper, but the Beavers countered with an 11-2 run of its own that included a demoralizing three-point make by Jaxson Gunville that was intended as a pass. The unintentional basket gave Minot State a 68-52 lead with 5:50 left in the game.
Morgan quickly countered the three-point gift of the Beavers with a three-pointer of his own, giving the Huskies life. Freshman Jamiir Allen (Milwaukee, Wis.) finished consecutive layups at the rim, one after he ripped the ball away from Caleb Van De Griend and took it coast to coast. St. Cloud State forced another miss and Morgan finished a layup on the other end, leading to a timeout by Minot State with the Huskies now only trailing by seven with just under four minutes remaining. Coming out of the timeout, Minot State missed a layup which led to a huge three by freshman Nate Dahl (Buffalo, Minn.) off an assist by Ramlall, cutting the lead to four. Allen finished another layup to cut the lead to two with two minutes remaining. On the ensuing possession, Ramlall picked the pocket of Connor Hollenbeck and passed it ahead to Morgan who finished the fastbreak layup, tying the game at 68 with 1:43 remaining. With 48 ticks on the clock, Wyatt Hawks was fouled on a layup. He made both free throws, giving the Huskies a 70-68 advantage, their first lead of the game. The Beavers went in desperation mode and Hollenbeck missed another layup. Allen grabbed the rebound and was fouled. The freshman made one of his two attempts, pushing the lead to three-points with 27 seconds left. Now in need of a three-pointer, Nate Dahl and the Huskies turned up the heat on defense and forced a tough three-point attempt by Jalen Cook which missed. Dahl came away with the rebound and was fouled. Dahl, needing to make just one free throw to virtually put the game away, made the first free throw to give the Huskies a four-point lead with 12 seconds left. The Huskies forced another miss to come away with a 72-68 win, stunning the 15th ranked Minot State Beavers on their home floor. Over the final 5:50, St. Cloud State went on a 20-0 run to escape with the victory. The Huskies put on the clamps in the final stretch, forcing Minot State into 10 missed shots and two turnovers.
Hawks scored a game-and-career-high 17 points while grabbing a game-high eight rebounds. The freshman shot 6-of-10 from the field and made all five of his free throws, a career-high. Hawks has now grabbed 8+ rebounds in seven games this season and has scored 10+ points in 10 games this season including four of his past five games. Morgan was the only other Husky to score in double-digits as he recorded 13 points and four rebounds. The Australian also shot a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line in a career-high 33 minutes of action. Nate Dahl finished the game with seven points and six rebounds while making two of his three three-point attempts, tying his career-high.
Highlights from both games can be found on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
St. Cloud State Team Stats (NSIC Rank)
- 74.9 points per game (9th) | 74.7 points per game allowed (11th) | 0.3 scoring margin (11th)
- 43.4 field goal percentage (13th) | 34.4 three-point percentage (9th) | 73 free throw percentage (9th)
- 45.9 opponent field goal percentage (12th) | 36.4 opponent three-point percentage (15th)
- 37 rebounds per game (6th) | 10.3 offensive rebounds per game (5th)
- 35.7 opponent rebounds per game (11th) | 1.3 rebounding margin (11th)
- 10.8 turnovers per game (6th) | 0.25 turnover margin (7th)
- 1.92 blocks per game (13th)
- 5.29 steals per game (11th)
- 13.5 assists per game (7th)
Friday's matchup against Southwest Minnesota State will be the 66th meeting between the programs and the Huskies hold a 41-24 advantage. The Mustangs have won the past two games including their matchup this season in Marshall.
St. Cloud State held a lead as big as three-points in the first eight minutes of the game earlier this season. SMSU rallied from that deficit with a 9-0 run to take a 21-15 lead. The Mustangs held that lead for the rest of the half and took a 38-31advantage into halftime.
St. Cloud State struggled offensively only shooting 36% from the field and 33% from three-point range. Despite the low three-point percentage, St. Cloud State made six threes' to SMSU's two, keeping it within striking distance.
The Huskies opened the second half on fire as they used a 13-6 run to tie the game at 44 – Matt Willert scored seven of those points. St. Cloud State continued to battle throughout the second half, but SMSU pulled away with an 11-0 run over a four-minute stretch to all but seal the fate of the Huskies. The Mustangs continued to stretch its lead and came away with an 86-75 victory.
Lucas Morgan led the Huskies in scoring with 15 points and dished out four assists, grabbed two rebounds and made two three-pointers. Willert scored 14 points, grabbed five rebounds and recorded a steal in 25 minutes in a starting role. Wyatt Hawks nearly put up a double-double as he scored 11 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Hawks knocked down his first career three-pointer for the Huskies and recorded five offensive rebounds.
Saturday's game against Sioux Falls will be the 20th meeting between the two teams and SCSU holds a 13-6 advantage. Sioux Falls, however, has won the past four matchups, including the game in Sioux Falls, S.D. earlier this season.
St. Cloud State forced an early Sioux Falls timeout in the game this season, after jumping out to a 9-2 lead. Anish Ramlall, Morgan and Luke Taylor all cashed a three-pointer. USF's Shawn Warrior went on a 7-0 run by himself to tie the game at nine. Warrior scored the first nine points for Sioux Falls. The Huskies responded with a 12-2 run – Jamiir Allen scored seven of the 12 points. St. Cloud State held a 21-11 lead with 12:58 left in the first half and continued to hold the lead until Sioux Falls closed out the half on a 13-7 run to take a 44-43 lead going into halftime.
Offensively, the Huskies were on fire, shooting 50% from the field and knocking down six of their 10 three-point attempts. Sioux Falls also shot above 50% from the field, but only shot 28% from beyond the arc. The Cougars got to the free throw line 10 times and capitalized on eight of those attempts.
St. Cloud State opened the second half with an 11-4 run to take a six-point lead with 15:33 left in the game. The Cougars did not go away, battling back to tie the game at 65 with 10:28 remaining. A thunderous dunk by Taylor and a three-pointer by Willert gave the Huskies a five-point lead, but that marked the beginning of the end for the Huskies because over the next seven minutes, Sioux Falls went on a 15-0 run to close out the game and take a 92-83 victory.
The offense was firing on all cylinders for the Huskies in most of the second half, shooting 40% from the field and 53% from three-point range, but eight turnovers gave Sioux Falls the edge. Those eight turnovers led to 11 points for the Cougars. Sioux Falls was able to get to the free throw line 22 times in the second half and converted on 18 of those attempts.
Ramlall led St. Cloud State with 18 points, four made three-pointers, three assists and three steals. The 18 points by the freshman was his second highest scoring output of the season and tied his career high in three-point makes. He also set a career high in steals. Morgan had a solid all-around game with 13-points, five rebounds, three assists and converted on five of his six free throw attempts. Taylor scored 13 points, snatched four rebounds and made all three of his three-point attempts in 20 minutes of play. The three-point makes were a season high for Taylor and is the second game this season where he has made multiple three-pointers.
SCOUTING SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
Southwest Minnesota State comes into this matchup posting a 14-10 record with an 11-7 conference record, placing them fifth in the NSIC. Last weekend, the Mustangs split their two games as they were defeated 62-70 on Friday by Minnesota Duluth but beat Concordia-St. Paul 87-64 on Saturday.
Senior Jake Phipps leads SMSU with 15.5 points per game on 55% from the field and 30% from three. Phipps also averages a team-high 6.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. The senior has scored 15+ points in five of his past six games including a 23-point performance against Minnesota State.
Freshman Aeron Stevens is the second leading scorer for SMSU as he averages 12.3 points per game on 47% from the field and 31% from beyond the arc. Stevens is the third leading rebounder on the team with 4.8 pr game. The freshman has been held below his scoring average in four of the past five games, but recently scored a season-high 27 points against Winona State.
Senior Cliff Cofield is the third Mustang to score in double-digits with 11.8 points per game on 47% from the field and 39% from three-point range. Cofield also averages four rebounds per game, is 5th in the NSIC with 3.7 assists per game and leads the NSIC with 1.8 steals per game. Prior to his 23-point outing against Concordia-St. Paul, Cofield had been held under 10 points in seven consecutive games.
Junior Dunwa Omot is the final SMSU player to score in double-digits with an average of 10.6 points per game with shooting splits of 45% from the field and 39% from beyond the arc. Omot also averages 2.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and one steal. Omot has scored 10+ points in three of the past five games with 13 points against Northern State.
Against SCSU on January 6, the quartet of Mustangs had their way with the Huskies with all four-scoring 15+ points. Phipps led the way with a game-high 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting while grabbing six rebounds. Omot stuffed the stat sheet for SMSU has he scored 20 points, registered three blocks, made three three-pointers, recorded two assists, two rebounds and two steals. Stevens scored 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting while grabbing six rebounds and recording two assists and blocks. Cofield scored 15 points, dished out five assists and nabbed three steals.
Brad Bigler is in his 15th season with Southwest Minnesota State and is the program's all-time winningest coach. His record leading the Mustangs is 235-187. Bigler is a two-time NSIC Coach of the Year recipient as he was awarded the honor in the 2012-2013 season as well as the 2016-2017 season. Bigler has recorded double-digit victories in all but two of his 15 seasons and has exceeded 13 wins in 10 of those seasons including 16 wins last year. In 19 career matchups with St. Cloud State, Bigler has a record of 9-11.
Southwest Minnesota State Team Stats (NSIC Rank)
- 74 points per game (11th) | 69.1 points per game allowed (3rd) | 4.9 scoring margin (7th)
- 47.4 field goal percentage (4th) | 35.7 three-point percentage (5th) | 76.9 free throw percentage (1st)
- 42 opponent field goal percentage (2nd) | 34.7 opponent three-point percentage (10th)
- 34.2 rebounds per game (13th) | 8.9 offensive rebounds per game (12th)
- 33 opponent rebounds per game (4th) | 1.3 rebounding margin (10th)
- 10.5 turnovers per game (7th) | -.08 turnover margin (9th)
- 3.17 blocks per game (5th)
- 6.88 steals per game (2nd)
- 13.8 assists per game (4th)
The Sioux Falls Cougars come into the matchup with the Huskies posting a 12-12 record and a 9-9 conference record, placing them eighth in the NSIC standings. The Cougars have lost three of their past four games with losses to Winona State, Minnesota State and Minnesota Duluth. All those losses have been close – seven points or less. USF defeated Concordia-St. Paul 76-67 last Friday.
Senior guard Jack Thompson leads the Cougars with 15.5 points per game while shooting 42% from the field and 37% from beyond the arc. Thompson leads the NSIC with 4.3 assists per game and averages 3.3 rebounds and one steal. The senior has scored 10+ points in eight consecutive games including a 34-point performance against MSU Moorhead, a 25-point outing against Northern State and a 20-point output against Winona State.
Junior Shawn Warrior is the only other Cougar to score in double-digits as he averages 10.7 points on 48% shooting from the field and 41% from beyond the arc. Warrior is the team's second leading rebounder with 5.5 per game and also averages one steal. The junior has scored 16+ points in consecutive games as he scored 16 points against Concordia-St. Paul and 18 against Duluth this past weekend.
Junior Noah Puetz sits at an average of 9.9 points per game on 43% from the field. Puetz is the team's third leading rebounder with 4.5 per game and is second on the team in assists with 2.3 per game. Puetz has scored 10+ points in four of his past six games including a 21-point outing against Northern State and a 19-point performance against Concordia-St. Paul.
Against St. Cloud State on January 5, Thompson led the way with 22 points on 50% shooting. Thompson also recorded four assists, three rebounds, a block and a steal. Warrior was right behind Thompson in scoring with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting while grabbing six rebounds. Puetz nearly recorded a double-double with 15 points and eight rebounds.
Chris Johnson is in his 16th season as the Head Coach of the Cougars. Johnson is the program's all-time leader in wins with 274 victories to 196 losses and was recently awarded NSIC Coach of the Year in the 2019-2020 season for leading the Cougars to a 22-8 record. During his tenure with Sioux Falls, Johnson has recorded six 20-win seasons and has only four seasons with less than 15 victories including a 19-11 record last season.
Sioux Falls will take on Bemidji State on Friday, Feb. 16 before playing the Huskies on Saturday. The Cougars have a record of 4-6 on the road this season.
Sioux Falls Team Stats (NSIC Rank)
- 73.8 points per game (12th) | 69.3 points per game allowed (5th) | 4.5 scoring margin (9th)
- 43.7 field goal percentage (12th) | 35.9 three-point percentage (4th) | 68.4 free throw percentage (12th)
- 42.4 opponent field goal percentage (5th) | 30.9 opponent three-point percentage (2nd)
- 37.6 rebounds per game (4th) | 12.3 offensive rebounds per game (1st)
- 32.2 opponent rebounds per game (1st) | 5.4 rebounding margin (2nd)
- 11.4 turnovers per game (4th) | -.38 turnover margin (10th)
- 3.96 blocks per game (1st)
- 5.58 steals per game (8th)
- 14.58 assists per game (3rd)
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.
Willert current sits at No. 33 with 1,145 points. He is five points away from being No. 32. He has played in 98 games (2,589 minutes) over the past four seasons for the Huskies. He averages 11.7 points per game for his career on 379-of-902 (42.0%) shooting from the field, 187-544 (34.4%) from three and 200-232 (86.2%) from the free throw line.
WILLERT WATCH
In addition to working his way up the all-time scoring list, senior Matt Willert is third on the career free throw percentage list (86.2%), 11th on the career three-point makes list (187) and 19th on the career blocks list (52). He made eight three pointers at Minnesota Crookston earlier this season, missing out on the single game record by one.
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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