Saturday, January 25
St. Cloud, MN
3:30 P.M.
St. Cloud State
vs
#15 Southwest Minnesota State
Photo by: Jason Soria
St. Cloud State Men’s Basketball Return Home Following Four-Game Road Trip
1/22/2025 4:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Huskies to host Sioux Falls and No. 15 Southwest Minnesota State
St. Cloud, Minn.- St. Cloud State Men's Basketball (12-8, 8-4 NSIC) start a three-game homestand as they host Sioux Falls on Friday, January 24 and then No. 15 Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday, January 25. Friday's game is set for 5:30 p.m. while Saturday's will be played at 3:30 p.m.
Follow the Huskies
Tickets to both games are available at scsutickets.com. Live stats will be provided both games by St. Cloud State. Both games 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 both the audio broadcast and livestream for both games.
Gameday Promotions
Saturday's game against SMSU will serve as the I Have a Dream Game for the Huskies where they will celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. There will be free admission to the game with a donation of a non-perishable food item as well as a t-shirt giveaway.
Last Time Out
St. Cloud State closed out their four-game road trip this past weekend as they traveled to Winona State on Friday and then to Minnesota State on Saturday.
Friday's game against Winona State saw the Huskies get off to a strong start as a layup by Wyatt Hawks gave SCSU an early 8-0 lead. Winona State slowly started to chip away as they knocked down a three-pointer to tie the game at 16 at the 10:48 mark of the first half. From that point, the teams were tightly contested through the next five minutes before Luke Winkel capped off an 8-0 run with a three-pointer to put the Huskies up 33-25 with 4:40 remaining in the half. The Warriors were able to cut the lead down to four points late in the half until Lucas Morgan got hot from three as he cashed three triples in the final 2:01 in the half. Morgan banged home a three with seven seconds left in the half to put St. Cloud State up 47-34 headed into the break. The Huskies held all the momentum headed into the break, but Winona State started the half on a 13-0 to tie the game back up at 47. Neither team was able to take control for most of the second half as the game would be tied at 67 at the 4:13 mark of the second half. Winona State then embarked on a 12-2 run over the next three minutes to lead 79-69 with 1:18 left as the game was looking out of reach for the Huskies. With 52 seconds left, Kynan Philippe thought otherwise as he drilled a three off an assist by Morgan which led to a Huskies timeout. SCSU fouled WSU on their possession as they split a pair of free throws to now lead 80-72. Nate Dahl came charging down the lane and finished inside while drawing a foul. Dahl converted the and-one for the Huskies as the lead was down to five points. The Warriors then inbounded the ball only for Lee Marks III to come away with a steal and score after St. Cloud State trapped Connor Drew in the backcourt. The lead was cut down to three points before SCSU fouled and Winona State again split a pair of free throws. With time starting to tick away, Anish Ramlall came up clutch for the Huskies as he splashed a three off an assist from Dahl to cut the lead down to one with 28 seconds remaining. St. Cloud State again fouled and Winona State again split a pair of free throws to lead by two points. With 13 seconds remaining, Dahl drove into the lane and would be fouled on his layup attempt. Dahl knocked in both attempts to tie the game at 82 points with Winona State having the final possession. To win the game, Isaiah Thompson missed a three, but the Warriors grabbed the offensive rebound. They were unable to get a second shot as the game headed to overtime as St. Cloud State went on a 13-3 run in the final 52 seconds. Overtime started slow for both teams as a free throw for the Warriors gave them an 85-84 lead with 1:51 left in extra time. On the ensuing offensive possession for St. Cloud State, Philippe came up big with a three to give SCSU an 87-85 lead. Winona State turned the ball over on their possession as Ramlall came away with the steal. On the offensive end, Wyatt Hawks backed down his defender and finished inside to put St. Cloud State up four points with 1:04 left. A free throw by Ramlall put St. Cloud State up five, but Winona State would knock down a pair of free throws after a loose ball foul on SCSU. With the ball and 22 seconds left in the game, the shot clock started to tick down as Ramlall had the ball in his hands. He drove into the lane and with three Warriors collapsing on him finished an incredible layup where he switched to his left hand mid air. The clutch layup by Ramlall put the Huskies up five. SCSU put the game away on the defensive end as the Warriors missed multiple threes as St. Cloud State came away with a big 93-87 OT win against RV Winona State. Nate Dahl stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Dahl made two three-pointers while going 4/5 from the free throw line. Lucas Morgan scored 20 points and grabbed six rebounds. He shot an efficient 7/13 from the field while making three three-pointers. Morgan also dished out two assists and tallied a block.
Saturday's game against Minnesota State again saw the Huskies get off to a strong start as a jumper by Luke Winkel gave St. Cloud State an early 11-3 lead over the Mavericks. SCSU held firm on that lead before back-to-back threes by Nathan Bunkosky put the Huskies in the drivers seat as they now led 21-10. While the Huskies comfortably led for most of the first half, Mankato battled back to cut the lead down to seven points with 5:28 remaining in the half. Following a timeout by SCSU, Kynan Philippe came out blazing with back-to-back threes. A layup by Wyatt Hawks extended the run to 8-0 before Philippe splashed a third three to put St. Cloud State up 44-26. The Huskies expanded their lead up to 19 after Anish Ramlall drained a three with 10 seconds left in the half as St. Cloud State led 52-33 at the break. The start of the second half saw SCSU build their lead up to 22 after Lucas Morgan converted an and-one. The Mavericks would not go away quietly as they commenced on a 9-2 run to cut the lead down to 15. Ramlall momentarily halted that momentum with a three to push the lead back up to 18 with 15:34 remaining. The Mavericks continued to chip away late into the game as the Huskies led 74-73 with 1:57 remaining. With the momentum on the side of Minnesota State, Luke Winkel came away with a big putback layup to bring the lead back up to three. MSU responded with a layup of their own as the teams then traded scoreless possessions with the Huskies leading 76-75 with 36 seconds remaining. Possessing the ball, Winkel would be fouled on the offensive possession for SCSU. Winkel stepped to the free throw line and knocked in both attempts to push the lead up to three points. The defense of St. Cloud State came up big as they came away with a stop. Winkel would again be fouled, this time with nine seconds remaining. With a chance to put the game away, Winkel iced the game by making two free throws to push the lead up to five. Mankato would not score on their final possession as St. Cloud State completed their weekend trip with a sweep as they defeated MSU Mankato 80-75. Luke Winkel paced the Huskies in scoring with 23 points while shooting 6/13 from the field and making nine of his ten free throw attempts. He also grabbed four rebounds and dished out four assists. Wyatt Hawks nearly tallied a double-double with 13 points and eight rebounds. Hawks shot 5/7 from the field and nabbed two steals.
St. Cloud State Statistical Leaders (total-average)
Stats accumulated 1/21/25
Series History
Friday's game against Sioux Falls will be the 21st all-time meeting between the teams with the Huskies holding a 14-6 advantage. The teams faced off twice last season with each team winning on their home floor.
The first game in Sioux Falls saw St. Cloud State force an early timeout by jumping out to a 9-2 lead as Anish Ramlall, Lucas Morgan and graduate student Luke Taylor all cashed a three-pointer. USF's Shawn Warrior went on a 7-0 run to tie the game at nine. Warrior scored the first nine points for Sioux Falls. The Huskies responded by going on a 12-2 run with Jamiir Allen scoring 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, taking a 44-43 lead into halftime. Offensively, the Huskies were on fire, shooting 50% from the field and making 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, capitalizing on eight of their 10 attempts. St. Cloud State opened the second half with an 11-4 run, taking a six-point lead with 15:33 left in the game. The Cougars didn't go away and battled back to tie the game at 65 with 10:28 remaining. A thunderous dunk by Taylor and a three-pointer by Matt Willert gave the Huskies a five-point lead, but that marked the beginning of the end for the Huskies. Over the next seven minutes, Sioux Falls went on a 15-0 run to close out the game and take a 92-83 victory.
At Halenbeck Hall for the second game, St. Cloud State opened up the game on a 7-3 run. The Cougars started to find their offensive footing with a 9-0 run, taking a 12-7 lead after Kyle Ingwerson cashed two three-pointers. The teams battled back-and-forth for the next seven minutes but neither team was able to take control. With 6:54 remaining in the half, USF embarked on a 7-0 run to give them a 29-18 lead. The Cougars stretched that lead to 15 points with 3:12 left in the half. The Huskies were able to recapture some momentum, closing the half on a 9-2 as Willert nailed a three-pointer from the top of the key off an assist by Allen. A strong final stretch in the half resulted in the Huskies only trailing by eight going into the break. St. Cloud State had struggles offensively with shooting splits of 35% from the field and 30% from three-point land. SCSU committed seven turnovers in the first half and the Cougars capitalized on those opportunities, scoring 15 points off those turnovers. Sioux Falls shot 43% from the field but also struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 30% from three. The Cougars lead by 5+ points for the first seven minutes of the second half, but after a 7-0 run, its lead was pushed to 12 points with 11:54 left in the game. The teams continued to battle, and the Cougars found themselves holding a 65-54 lead with 6:28 remaining.
Allen looked to start a late push for the Huskies as he drove baseline for the layup that rimed out, but followed his miss with an offensive rebound and kicked it out to an open Matt Willert in the corner who drained a three, bringing the Huskies within eight points. Lucas Morgan found Willert open on the right wing where he drained another three, bringing the Huskies within five points. The SCSU defense continued to shine as they forced three more misses which led to free throws by Allen and Morgan. They each knocked down both of their attempts and the Huskies cut its deficit to one with 2:43 left. St. Cloud State forced Sioux Falls into a turnover and the game's momentum began to heavily favor SCSU. On their ensuing offensive possession, the Huskies had multiple opportunities to score after grabbing two offensive rebounds. Once the offense reset, Morgan got the ball on the left elbow where he drove baseline, spun off his defender and finished the layup to give the Huskies a 66-65 lead with just under 90 seconds remaining.
Sioux Falls' Jack Thompon halted the Huskies momentum after he drilled a three-pointer on the ensuing USF possession to give the Cougars a 68-66 lead. In dire need of a score, the Huskies leaned on Ramlall who drove by his defender into the paint and avoided another defender with an up-and-under scoop shot layup that dropped in to tie the game at 68 with 40 seconds remaining. On the next USF possession, Ramlall played sensational defense and forced Thompson into a tough two-point shot that clanged off the rim with 15 seconds left. Allen came away with the rebound and pushed the ball up to Nate Dahl as the Huskies had a 5-on-4 advantage after a Cougar was injured fighting for the rebound. Dahl drove down the lane, kicked it out to Mutimer on the wing who swung it over to Morgan in the corner. Morgan drove into the paint and dump it down to Dahl who finished the tear drop layup, giving the Huskies a 70-68 lead with three seconds remaining.
An injury timeout was called, giving USF an opportunity to draw up a play to win the game. Needing to go the full length of the court, Sioux Falls inbounded the ball to Kyle Ingwerson who caught the ball across halfcourt. Ingwerson dumped it back to Thompson who sprinted up the floor and shot a three-pointer near the top of the key. The potential game-winner missed, hitting the front of the rim as time expired.
St. Cloud State completed another improbable comeback, using a 16-3 run in the final 5:42 of the game to beat Sioux Falls 70-68. The win clinched the Huskies a spot in the NSIC Tournament.
Saturday's game against Southwest Minnesota State will be the 68th meeting between the programs with the Huskies holding a 41-26 lead in the series. Despite the advantage in the series, St. Cloud State has lost five straight games to the Mustangs including all three matchups last season.
With the first game in Marshall, Minn. SCSU held a lead as big as three-points in the first eight minutes of the game. 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 led 38-31 at halftime. St. Cloud State struggled offensively shooting only 36% from the field and 33% from three-point range. Despite the low three-point percentage, the Huskies made six threes to SMSU's two, keeping them within striking distance. The Huskies opened the second half on fire, using 13-6 run to tie the game at 44. Willert scored seven of those points. SCSU 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 the lead and came away with an 86-75 victory.
The second game took place at Halenbeck Hall SMSU burst out of the gates with a 9-0 in the first two minutes and 14 seconds of the game. The Huskies finally put their first points on the board after Matt Willert netted a three-pointer at the 15:39 mark. Despite the slow start, SCSU battled back with a 7-0 run as Luke Taylor finished a layup in the paint and then drained a corner three-pointer off a Willert assist. Anish Ramlall tied the game at 11 with a three-pointer of his own off another assist by Willert. The Mustangs responded to the Huskies run by knocking down three three-pointers in the midst of an 11-3 run to take a 22-14 lead with 5:46 left in the first half. SMSU held a lead as big as 10 points in the final minutes of the half but went into the break with a 30-22 lead after Jake Phipps finished a layup with 23 seconds remaining. The Huskies struggled in the first half, shooting a mere 27% from the field and committing six turnovers. SCSU was able to keep themselves within striking distance by knocking down five of their 12 three-point attempts – a 41% clip. SMSU shot 48% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. Both teams struggled to begin the second half, as Willert made the first field goal of the half with a three-pointer off of a ghost screen action. The Mustangs responded with a three-pointer of their own and then capped off a 6-2 run with a thunderous dunk to take a 41-27 lead with 13:07 remaining in the game. SMSU held a lead as big as 16 points in the second half and led by 8+ points for final stretch of the game. The Huskies went on to lose, 65-52.
The Huskies returned to Marshall for the third meeting of the season. The stakes would be high in this game with it being the first round of the NSIC Tournament. The Huskies jumped out to a 6-3 lead over SMSU in the first three and a half minutes. Wyatt Hawks provided the first four points after making his first two shots. The Mustangs went on a 12-0 run over the next five minutes to take a nine-point lead. The Huskies made back-to-back-to-back three pointers to cut their deficit down to three after SMSU made its own three pointer. SCSU then capped off a 14-5 run with a three pointer from Lucas Morgan forcing the Mustangs to call a timeout. SMSU went up by as many as eight points in the final stretch of the half, but the Huskies got themselves within four going into halftime after Luke Taylor made a three pointer with five seconds left in the half. SCSU took a one-point lead twice in the first five and a half minutes of the second half and the Huskies held a 41-40 lead at the 14:36 mark. Over the next three minutes, the moment completely switched sides as Southwest Minnesota State went on a 17-0 run. SMSU led by double digits for the final 12:06 en route to a 74-63 victory.
Scouting Sioux Falls
The Sioux Falls Cougars come into this matchup holding an 11-7 record with a 7-5 mark in conference play. Sioux Falls closed 2024 on a four-game losing streak, but have responded with a five-game winning streak to open 2025. During their streak, the Cougars have beaten Minnesota Crookston, Minot State, MSU Moorhead, UMary, and Northern State. Coming into this season, USF was projected to finish seventh in the conference following a 2023-24 campaign where they went 13-17 with a 9-13 record in conference play. Sioux Falls qualified for the NSIC Tournament last year where they defeated Bemidji State on a buzzer beater in the first round. The Cougars then had their season end in the quarterfinals as they were defeated 64-78 against Minnesota State.
All five starters for Sioux Falls are scoring in double digits including Noah Puetz, Taylen Ashley, Creighton Morisch, Shawn Warrior, and Kyle Ingwerson. Puetz leads the bunch with 13.7 points while shooting 47.3 from the field and 36.9% from three. He also averages 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists. Morisch nearly averages a double-double with 12.3 points and 9.9 rebounds. He is shooting 53.5% from the field while dishing 3.2 assists and blocking 1.6 shots. Morisch was recently named NSIC Player of the Week after averaging 19.0 points and 16.5 rebounds. Ashley is scoring 12.4 points while Warrior and Ingwerson are averaging 10.4 and 10.8 points respectively.
Head Coach Chris Johnson enters his 17th season with the Cougars in the 2024-25 season. Johnson is the all-time wins leader at Sioux Falls with 278 wins. He was honored with NSIC Coach of the Year in the 2019-20 season. Johnson has reached the NSIC Tournament 10 times during his tenure.
Sioux Falls Statistical Leaders (total-average)
Scouting Southwest Minnesota State
The Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs come into this game sitting at the top of the NSIC with a 15-3 record and a 10-2 record in conference play. The Mustangs are currently ranked No. 15 in the latest NABC Coaches Poll. SMSU is in the midst of a six-game winning streak following victories against Sioux Falls, Minnesota Crookston, MSU Moorhead, Minot State, Northern State, and UMary. The Mustangs came into this season projected to finish fourth in the NSIC after going 19-3 with a 14-8 mark in conference play. SMSU qualified for the NSIC Tournament where they beat the Huskies and Minot State to reach the semifinals. They then faced off against Minnesota State who beat them 68-67. The Mustangs were selected to the NCAA Tournament where their season ended against Northwest Missouri State with a 43-73 loss.
Like Sioux Falls, all five starters for the Mustangs score in double-figures with Aeron Stevens leading the group. Stevens is scoring 15.4 points on 47.6% from the field and 46.3% from three. He is also grabbing 6.5 rebounds and dishing 2.0 assists. Jakob Braaten is second on the team in points with a 13.9 per game average. He is shooting 53.3% from the field to go with 6.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.1 stocks. Dunwa Omot, Steven Kramer, and Mason Lund are the three other Mustangs above the double-digit point threshold.
Head Coach Brad Bigler is in his 16th season at SMSU in the 2024-25 season. Bigler is the all-time wins leader at SMSU with 255 victories. He is also a two-time NSIC Coach of the Year honoree while guiding the Mustangs to four NCAA Tournament appearances.
Southwest Minnesota State Statistical Leaders (total-average)
Southwest Minnesota State will take on Bemidji State on Friday before facing the Huskies on Saturday.
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. Live stats will be provided both games by St. Cloud State. Both games 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 both the audio broadcast and livestream for both games.
Gameday Promotions
Saturday's game against SMSU will serve as the I Have a Dream Game for the Huskies where they will celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. There will be free admission to the game with a donation of a non-perishable food item as well as a t-shirt giveaway.
Last Time Out
St. Cloud State closed out their four-game road trip this past weekend as they traveled to Winona State on Friday and then to Minnesota State on Saturday.
Friday's game against Winona State saw the Huskies get off to a strong start as a layup by Wyatt Hawks gave SCSU an early 8-0 lead. Winona State slowly started to chip away as they knocked down a three-pointer to tie the game at 16 at the 10:48 mark of the first half. From that point, the teams were tightly contested through the next five minutes before Luke Winkel capped off an 8-0 run with a three-pointer to put the Huskies up 33-25 with 4:40 remaining in the half. The Warriors were able to cut the lead down to four points late in the half until Lucas Morgan got hot from three as he cashed three triples in the final 2:01 in the half. Morgan banged home a three with seven seconds left in the half to put St. Cloud State up 47-34 headed into the break. The Huskies held all the momentum headed into the break, but Winona State started the half on a 13-0 to tie the game back up at 47. Neither team was able to take control for most of the second half as the game would be tied at 67 at the 4:13 mark of the second half. Winona State then embarked on a 12-2 run over the next three minutes to lead 79-69 with 1:18 left as the game was looking out of reach for the Huskies. With 52 seconds left, Kynan Philippe thought otherwise as he drilled a three off an assist by Morgan which led to a Huskies timeout. SCSU fouled WSU on their possession as they split a pair of free throws to now lead 80-72. Nate Dahl came charging down the lane and finished inside while drawing a foul. Dahl converted the and-one for the Huskies as the lead was down to five points. The Warriors then inbounded the ball only for Lee Marks III to come away with a steal and score after St. Cloud State trapped Connor Drew in the backcourt. The lead was cut down to three points before SCSU fouled and Winona State again split a pair of free throws. With time starting to tick away, Anish Ramlall came up clutch for the Huskies as he splashed a three off an assist from Dahl to cut the lead down to one with 28 seconds remaining. St. Cloud State again fouled and Winona State again split a pair of free throws to lead by two points. With 13 seconds remaining, Dahl drove into the lane and would be fouled on his layup attempt. Dahl knocked in both attempts to tie the game at 82 points with Winona State having the final possession. To win the game, Isaiah Thompson missed a three, but the Warriors grabbed the offensive rebound. They were unable to get a second shot as the game headed to overtime as St. Cloud State went on a 13-3 run in the final 52 seconds. Overtime started slow for both teams as a free throw for the Warriors gave them an 85-84 lead with 1:51 left in extra time. On the ensuing offensive possession for St. Cloud State, Philippe came up big with a three to give SCSU an 87-85 lead. Winona State turned the ball over on their possession as Ramlall came away with the steal. On the offensive end, Wyatt Hawks backed down his defender and finished inside to put St. Cloud State up four points with 1:04 left. A free throw by Ramlall put St. Cloud State up five, but Winona State would knock down a pair of free throws after a loose ball foul on SCSU. With the ball and 22 seconds left in the game, the shot clock started to tick down as Ramlall had the ball in his hands. He drove into the lane and with three Warriors collapsing on him finished an incredible layup where he switched to his left hand mid air. The clutch layup by Ramlall put the Huskies up five. SCSU put the game away on the defensive end as the Warriors missed multiple threes as St. Cloud State came away with a big 93-87 OT win against RV Winona State. Nate Dahl stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Dahl made two three-pointers while going 4/5 from the free throw line. Lucas Morgan scored 20 points and grabbed six rebounds. He shot an efficient 7/13 from the field while making three three-pointers. Morgan also dished out two assists and tallied a block.
Saturday's game against Minnesota State again saw the Huskies get off to a strong start as a jumper by Luke Winkel gave St. Cloud State an early 11-3 lead over the Mavericks. SCSU held firm on that lead before back-to-back threes by Nathan Bunkosky put the Huskies in the drivers seat as they now led 21-10. While the Huskies comfortably led for most of the first half, Mankato battled back to cut the lead down to seven points with 5:28 remaining in the half. Following a timeout by SCSU, Kynan Philippe came out blazing with back-to-back threes. A layup by Wyatt Hawks extended the run to 8-0 before Philippe splashed a third three to put St. Cloud State up 44-26. The Huskies expanded their lead up to 19 after Anish Ramlall drained a three with 10 seconds left in the half as St. Cloud State led 52-33 at the break. The start of the second half saw SCSU build their lead up to 22 after Lucas Morgan converted an and-one. The Mavericks would not go away quietly as they commenced on a 9-2 run to cut the lead down to 15. Ramlall momentarily halted that momentum with a three to push the lead back up to 18 with 15:34 remaining. The Mavericks continued to chip away late into the game as the Huskies led 74-73 with 1:57 remaining. With the momentum on the side of Minnesota State, Luke Winkel came away with a big putback layup to bring the lead back up to three. MSU responded with a layup of their own as the teams then traded scoreless possessions with the Huskies leading 76-75 with 36 seconds remaining. Possessing the ball, Winkel would be fouled on the offensive possession for SCSU. Winkel stepped to the free throw line and knocked in both attempts to push the lead up to three points. The defense of St. Cloud State came up big as they came away with a stop. Winkel would again be fouled, this time with nine seconds remaining. With a chance to put the game away, Winkel iced the game by making two free throws to push the lead up to five. Mankato would not score on their final possession as St. Cloud State completed their weekend trip with a sweep as they defeated MSU Mankato 80-75. Luke Winkel paced the Huskies in scoring with 23 points while shooting 6/13 from the field and making nine of his ten free throw attempts. He also grabbed four rebounds and dished out four assists. Wyatt Hawks nearly tallied a double-double with 13 points and eight rebounds. Hawks shot 5/7 from the field and nabbed two steals.
St. Cloud State Statistical Leaders (total-average)
- Points- Nate Dahl (255-12.8)
- Rebounds- Wyatt Hawks (163-8.2)
- Offensive rebounds- Wyatt Hawks (56-2.8)
- Assists- Luke Winkel (60-3.2)
- Steals- Nate Dahl (25-1.3)
- Blocks- Wyatt Hawks (20-1.0)
- Stocks- Wyatt Hawks (39-2.0)
- Field goals made- Wyatt Hawks (87-4.4)
- Three-point field goals made- Kynan Philippe (32-1.6)
- Free throw makes- Nate Dahl (88-4.4)
- Minutes- Wyatt Hawks (570-28.5)
- 76.4 points per game (7th) | 73.9 points per game allowed (10th) | 2.5 scoring margin (10th)
- 45.1 field goal percentage (10th) | 34.5 three-point percentage (10th) | 72.6 free throw percentage (5th)
- 46.2 opponent field goal percentage (12th) | 32.8 opponent three-point percentage (7th)
- 35.2 rebounds per game (10th) | 10.3 offensive rebounds per game (4th)
- 33.1 opponent rebounds per game (6th) | 2.1 rebounding margin (8th)
- 12.3 turnovers per game (11th) | 12.9 turnovers forced per game (3rd) | 0.60 turnover margin (6th)
- 2.45 blocks per game (12th)
- 7.80 steals per game (3rd)
- 10.75 assists per game (15th)
- 7.2 three-point field goals made per game (12th)
Stats accumulated 1/21/25
Series History
Friday's game against Sioux Falls will be the 21st all-time meeting between the teams with the Huskies holding a 14-6 advantage. The teams faced off twice last season with each team winning on their home floor.
The first game in Sioux Falls saw St. Cloud State force an early timeout by jumping out to a 9-2 lead as Anish Ramlall, Lucas Morgan and graduate student Luke Taylor all cashed a three-pointer. USF's Shawn Warrior went on a 7-0 run to tie the game at nine. Warrior scored the first nine points for Sioux Falls. The Huskies responded by going on a 12-2 run with Jamiir Allen scoring 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, taking a 44-43 lead into halftime. Offensively, the Huskies were on fire, shooting 50% from the field and making 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, capitalizing on eight of their 10 attempts. St. Cloud State opened the second half with an 11-4 run, taking a six-point lead with 15:33 left in the game. The Cougars didn't go away and battled back to tie the game at 65 with 10:28 remaining. A thunderous dunk by Taylor and a three-pointer by Matt Willert gave the Huskies a five-point lead, but that marked the beginning of the end for the Huskies. Over the next seven minutes, Sioux Falls went on a 15-0 run to close out the game and take a 92-83 victory.
At Halenbeck Hall for the second game, St. Cloud State opened up the game on a 7-3 run. The Cougars started to find their offensive footing with a 9-0 run, taking a 12-7 lead after Kyle Ingwerson cashed two three-pointers. The teams battled back-and-forth for the next seven minutes but neither team was able to take control. With 6:54 remaining in the half, USF embarked on a 7-0 run to give them a 29-18 lead. The Cougars stretched that lead to 15 points with 3:12 left in the half. The Huskies were able to recapture some momentum, closing the half on a 9-2 as Willert nailed a three-pointer from the top of the key off an assist by Allen. A strong final stretch in the half resulted in the Huskies only trailing by eight going into the break. St. Cloud State had struggles offensively with shooting splits of 35% from the field and 30% from three-point land. SCSU committed seven turnovers in the first half and the Cougars capitalized on those opportunities, scoring 15 points off those turnovers. Sioux Falls shot 43% from the field but also struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 30% from three. The Cougars lead by 5+ points for the first seven minutes of the second half, but after a 7-0 run, its lead was pushed to 12 points with 11:54 left in the game. The teams continued to battle, and the Cougars found themselves holding a 65-54 lead with 6:28 remaining.
Allen looked to start a late push for the Huskies as he drove baseline for the layup that rimed out, but followed his miss with an offensive rebound and kicked it out to an open Matt Willert in the corner who drained a three, bringing the Huskies within eight points. Lucas Morgan found Willert open on the right wing where he drained another three, bringing the Huskies within five points. The SCSU defense continued to shine as they forced three more misses which led to free throws by Allen and Morgan. They each knocked down both of their attempts and the Huskies cut its deficit to one with 2:43 left. St. Cloud State forced Sioux Falls into a turnover and the game's momentum began to heavily favor SCSU. On their ensuing offensive possession, the Huskies had multiple opportunities to score after grabbing two offensive rebounds. Once the offense reset, Morgan got the ball on the left elbow where he drove baseline, spun off his defender and finished the layup to give the Huskies a 66-65 lead with just under 90 seconds remaining.
Sioux Falls' Jack Thompon halted the Huskies momentum after he drilled a three-pointer on the ensuing USF possession to give the Cougars a 68-66 lead. In dire need of a score, the Huskies leaned on Ramlall who drove by his defender into the paint and avoided another defender with an up-and-under scoop shot layup that dropped in to tie the game at 68 with 40 seconds remaining. On the next USF possession, Ramlall played sensational defense and forced Thompson into a tough two-point shot that clanged off the rim with 15 seconds left. Allen came away with the rebound and pushed the ball up to Nate Dahl as the Huskies had a 5-on-4 advantage after a Cougar was injured fighting for the rebound. Dahl drove down the lane, kicked it out to Mutimer on the wing who swung it over to Morgan in the corner. Morgan drove into the paint and dump it down to Dahl who finished the tear drop layup, giving the Huskies a 70-68 lead with three seconds remaining.
An injury timeout was called, giving USF an opportunity to draw up a play to win the game. Needing to go the full length of the court, Sioux Falls inbounded the ball to Kyle Ingwerson who caught the ball across halfcourt. Ingwerson dumped it back to Thompson who sprinted up the floor and shot a three-pointer near the top of the key. The potential game-winner missed, hitting the front of the rim as time expired.
St. Cloud State completed another improbable comeback, using a 16-3 run in the final 5:42 of the game to beat Sioux Falls 70-68. The win clinched the Huskies a spot in the NSIC Tournament.
Saturday's game against Southwest Minnesota State will be the 68th meeting between the programs with the Huskies holding a 41-26 lead in the series. Despite the advantage in the series, St. Cloud State has lost five straight games to the Mustangs including all three matchups last season.
With the first game in Marshall, Minn. SCSU held a lead as big as three-points in the first eight minutes of the game. 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 led 38-31 at halftime. St. Cloud State struggled offensively shooting only 36% from the field and 33% from three-point range. Despite the low three-point percentage, the Huskies made six threes to SMSU's two, keeping them within striking distance. The Huskies opened the second half on fire, using 13-6 run to tie the game at 44. Willert scored seven of those points. SCSU 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 the lead and came away with an 86-75 victory.
The second game took place at Halenbeck Hall SMSU burst out of the gates with a 9-0 in the first two minutes and 14 seconds of the game. The Huskies finally put their first points on the board after Matt Willert netted a three-pointer at the 15:39 mark. Despite the slow start, SCSU battled back with a 7-0 run as Luke Taylor finished a layup in the paint and then drained a corner three-pointer off a Willert assist. Anish Ramlall tied the game at 11 with a three-pointer of his own off another assist by Willert. The Mustangs responded to the Huskies run by knocking down three three-pointers in the midst of an 11-3 run to take a 22-14 lead with 5:46 left in the first half. SMSU held a lead as big as 10 points in the final minutes of the half but went into the break with a 30-22 lead after Jake Phipps finished a layup with 23 seconds remaining. The Huskies struggled in the first half, shooting a mere 27% from the field and committing six turnovers. SCSU was able to keep themselves within striking distance by knocking down five of their 12 three-point attempts – a 41% clip. SMSU shot 48% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. Both teams struggled to begin the second half, as Willert made the first field goal of the half with a three-pointer off of a ghost screen action. The Mustangs responded with a three-pointer of their own and then capped off a 6-2 run with a thunderous dunk to take a 41-27 lead with 13:07 remaining in the game. SMSU held a lead as big as 16 points in the second half and led by 8+ points for final stretch of the game. The Huskies went on to lose, 65-52.
The Huskies returned to Marshall for the third meeting of the season. The stakes would be high in this game with it being the first round of the NSIC Tournament. The Huskies jumped out to a 6-3 lead over SMSU in the first three and a half minutes. Wyatt Hawks provided the first four points after making his first two shots. The Mustangs went on a 12-0 run over the next five minutes to take a nine-point lead. The Huskies made back-to-back-to-back three pointers to cut their deficit down to three after SMSU made its own three pointer. SCSU then capped off a 14-5 run with a three pointer from Lucas Morgan forcing the Mustangs to call a timeout. SMSU went up by as many as eight points in the final stretch of the half, but the Huskies got themselves within four going into halftime after Luke Taylor made a three pointer with five seconds left in the half. SCSU took a one-point lead twice in the first five and a half minutes of the second half and the Huskies held a 41-40 lead at the 14:36 mark. Over the next three minutes, the moment completely switched sides as Southwest Minnesota State went on a 17-0 run. SMSU led by double digits for the final 12:06 en route to a 74-63 victory.
Scouting Sioux Falls
The Sioux Falls Cougars come into this matchup holding an 11-7 record with a 7-5 mark in conference play. Sioux Falls closed 2024 on a four-game losing streak, but have responded with a five-game winning streak to open 2025. During their streak, the Cougars have beaten Minnesota Crookston, Minot State, MSU Moorhead, UMary, and Northern State. Coming into this season, USF was projected to finish seventh in the conference following a 2023-24 campaign where they went 13-17 with a 9-13 record in conference play. Sioux Falls qualified for the NSIC Tournament last year where they defeated Bemidji State on a buzzer beater in the first round. The Cougars then had their season end in the quarterfinals as they were defeated 64-78 against Minnesota State.
All five starters for Sioux Falls are scoring in double digits including Noah Puetz, Taylen Ashley, Creighton Morisch, Shawn Warrior, and Kyle Ingwerson. Puetz leads the bunch with 13.7 points while shooting 47.3 from the field and 36.9% from three. He also averages 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists. Morisch nearly averages a double-double with 12.3 points and 9.9 rebounds. He is shooting 53.5% from the field while dishing 3.2 assists and blocking 1.6 shots. Morisch was recently named NSIC Player of the Week after averaging 19.0 points and 16.5 rebounds. Ashley is scoring 12.4 points while Warrior and Ingwerson are averaging 10.4 and 10.8 points respectively.
Head Coach Chris Johnson enters his 17th season with the Cougars in the 2024-25 season. Johnson is the all-time wins leader at Sioux Falls with 278 wins. He was honored with NSIC Coach of the Year in the 2019-20 season. Johnson has reached the NSIC Tournament 10 times during his tenure.
Sioux Falls Statistical Leaders (total-average)
- Points- Noah Puetz (246-13.7)
- Rebounds- Creighton Morisch (168-9.9)
- Offensive rebounds- Creighton Morisch (49-2.9)
- Assists- Creighton Morisch (55-3.2)
- Steals- Shawn Warrior (19-1.1)
- Blocks- Creighton Morisch (28-1.6)
- Stocks- Creighton Morisch (43-2.5)
- Field goals made- Noah Puetz (89-4.9)
- Three-point field goals made- Kyle Ingwerson (38-2.2)
- Free throw makes- Shawn Warrior (45-2.5)
- Minutes- Shawn Warrior (547-30.4)
- 76.8 points per game (6th) | 73.5 points per game allowed (8th) | 3.3 scoring margin (9th)
- 45.8 field goal percentage (8th) | 37.5 three-point percentage (1st) | 69.5 free throw percentage (9th)
- 42.3 opponent field goal percentage (4th) | 35.2 opponent three-point percentage (10th)
- 39.4 rebounds per game (2nd) | 11.7 offensive rebounds per game (1st)
- 32.2 opponent rebounds per game (4th) | 7.3 rebounding margin (2nd)
- 14.1 turnovers per game (15th) | 10.5 turnovers forced per game (12th) | -3.56 turnover margin (15th)
- 3.67 blocks per game (2nd)
- 5.28 steals per game (12th)
- 16.67 assists per game (1st)
- 8.4 three-point field goals made per game (5th)
Scouting Southwest Minnesota State
The Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs come into this game sitting at the top of the NSIC with a 15-3 record and a 10-2 record in conference play. The Mustangs are currently ranked No. 15 in the latest NABC Coaches Poll. SMSU is in the midst of a six-game winning streak following victories against Sioux Falls, Minnesota Crookston, MSU Moorhead, Minot State, Northern State, and UMary. The Mustangs came into this season projected to finish fourth in the NSIC after going 19-3 with a 14-8 mark in conference play. SMSU qualified for the NSIC Tournament where they beat the Huskies and Minot State to reach the semifinals. They then faced off against Minnesota State who beat them 68-67. The Mustangs were selected to the NCAA Tournament where their season ended against Northwest Missouri State with a 43-73 loss.
Like Sioux Falls, all five starters for the Mustangs score in double-figures with Aeron Stevens leading the group. Stevens is scoring 15.4 points on 47.6% from the field and 46.3% from three. He is also grabbing 6.5 rebounds and dishing 2.0 assists. Jakob Braaten is second on the team in points with a 13.9 per game average. He is shooting 53.3% from the field to go with 6.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.1 stocks. Dunwa Omot, Steven Kramer, and Mason Lund are the three other Mustangs above the double-digit point threshold.
Head Coach Brad Bigler is in his 16th season at SMSU in the 2024-25 season. Bigler is the all-time wins leader at SMSU with 255 victories. He is also a two-time NSIC Coach of the Year honoree while guiding the Mustangs to four NCAA Tournament appearances.
Southwest Minnesota State Statistical Leaders (total-average)
- Points- Aeron Stevens (262-15.4)
- Rebounds- Jakob Braaten (111-6.2)
- Offensive rebounds- Mason Lund (28-1.6)
- Assists- Jakob Braaten (63-3.5)
- Steals- Mekhi Shaw (41-2.3)
- Blocks- Mason Lund/Dunwa Omot (12-0.7/0.8)
- Stocks- Mekhi Shaw (44-2.5)
- Field goals made- Jako Braaten (96-5.3)
- Three-point field goals made- Mason Lund (30-1.7)
- Free throw makes- Aeron Stevens (67-3.9)
- Minutes- Jakob Braaten (553-30.7)
- 75.4 points per game (8th) | 65.3 points per game allowed (1st) | 10.1 scoring margin (3rd)
- 48.3 field goal percentage (3rd) | 35.7 three-point percentage (7th) | 75.6 free throw percentage (2nd)
- 40.1 opponent field goal percentage (1st) | 31.0 opponent three-point percentage (3rd)
- 36.1 rebounds per game (6th) | 8.2 offensive rebounds per game (14th)
- 33.8 opponent rebounds per game (7th) | 2.3 rebounding margin (7th)
- 10.2 turnovers per game (3rd) | 12.4 turnovers forced per game (5th) | 2.28 turnover margin (3rd)
- 3.22 blocks per game (7th)
- 7.94 steals per game (2nd)
- 12.22 assists per game (10th)
- 6.9 three-point field goals made per game (13th)
Southwest Minnesota State will take on Bemidji State on Friday before facing the Huskies on Saturday.
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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