Wednesday, January 8
St. Paul, MN
7:30 P.M.
St. Cloud State
at
RV Concordia-St. Paul
Photo by: Jason Soria
St. Cloud State Men’s Basketball Gears up for First Road Games of 2025
1/7/2025 2:49:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Huskies to play Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota Duluth
St. Cloud, Minn.- St. Cloud State Men's Basketball (9-7, 5-3 NSIC) hit the road for the first time in 2025 as they travel to RV Concordia-St. Paul on Wednesday, January 8 and then to Minnesota Duluth on Saturday, January 11. Wednesday's game is set for 7:30 p.m. while Saturday's will be played at 3:00 p.m.
Follow the Huskies
Live State will be provided by Concordia-St. Paul on Wednesday and then by Minnesota Duluth on Saturday. 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 audio broadcast for both games.
Last Time Out
The Huskies kicked off 2025 this past weekend as they host Augustana and Wayne State. The first five minutes of Friday's game were tightly contested, but Augustana slowly built up a seven-point lead. The Huskies started to gain momentum as Nate Dahl cashed a three as the shot clock expired while getting fouled at the 14:36 mark of the first half. Dahl converted the free throw as the Huskies worked their way to a two-point deficit after a layup by Vance Peiffer. The teams continued to battle as a three by Nathan Bunkosky cut the deficit to one-point, but the Vikings brought the lead back up to six points after an 8-2 run. Augustana continued to extend their lead as they led 34-24 with 5:57 left in the half. The Huskies were able to chip away in the final minutes of the half, but Augustana ultimately led 48-37 going into halftime. The Huskies were aggressive all half attacking the rim as they got to the line 22 times and converted 18 of those attempts. St. Cloud State defensively came out of the break energetic as they held the Vikings scoreless for the three minutes of the half. During that stretch, SCSU brought the game back within five points as they continued their aggressive offensive play. From that initial stretch of the half, the teams stalemated for almost the entire half. Augustana could never blow the game open as the Huskies had an answer for every run by the Vikings. With Augustana leading by five points with 3:24 remaining, Luke Winkel finished inside to cut the deficit to three. SCSU strung together two stops as on their offensive possession following the second stop, Dahl drove inside, took contact, and finished a layup while getting fouled. Dahl tied the game at 68 by converting the and-one opportunity with 2:01 left in the game. The defense continued to be stout for the Huskies as they forced two more misses. Lee Marks III came away with a big defensive rebound and was fouled in the process, sending him to the line. Marks made his first attempt to give St. Cloud State the lead with 41 second remaining but missed his second attempt. With now 21 seconds left, Augustana got the lead back after a layup by Akoi Akoi. SCSU called a timeout, now having an opportunity to win the game. Out of the timeout, Winkel had a baseline drive where he dumped it down to Wyatt Hawks with five seconds left who had his layup attempt blocked by Akoi. The Huskies fouled Augustana with two seconds left where Malyk Rebetez missed his first attempt, but made the second to give the Vikings a 71-69 lead. SCSU again called a timeout, but would need to travel the full length of the court to potentially tie or win the game. On the opposite baseline, Winkel inbounded to Dahl who had gathered a head of steam. Dahl took a few dribbles to get past halfcourt before he fired a shot just outside the halfcourt line. His shot to win the game narrowly missed as he hit the back rim as time expired. St. Cloud State would ultimately lose 69-71, snapping their three-game winning streak. Nate Dahl recorded his first career double-double as he tallied 22 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. Dahl was aggressive all night and got to the line 10 times, making all 10 of his attempts. This was the second straight game for Dahl where he has scored 20+ points and fourth game this season. Luke Winkel tallied his third straight game scoring in double-figures as he notched 15 points and dished four assists. Like Dahl, Winkel was aggressive and got to the line 10 times, making nine of those attempts. This was Winkel's sixth game this season dishing 4+ assists.
Saturday's game against Wayne State saw the Huskies get off to a slow offensive start as they trailed 15-6 through the first 10 minutes of the game. Wayne State expanded that lead to double-digits with 6:42 left in the half as they led 21-11. SCSU started to find some offensive groove as they scored 10 points to end the half, but still found themselves trailing 28-21 at halftime. The Huskies shot 35% from the field while going 1/7 from beyond the arc in the first half. Through the first 10 minutes of the second half, Wayne State would lead by 7+ points before Kynan Philippe started to spark a comeback. Philippe cashed a three at the 10:50 mark of the second half and then finished a transition layup after Lucas Morgan nabbed a steal and then found an open Philippe on the fast break. With their lead now only four-points, Wayne State called a timeout to halt the momentum. The Huskies produced the first bucket out of the timeout as Wyatt Hawks cashed a mid-range jumper to put SCSU within two-points. WSC responded with a three, but St. Cloud State responded to their response with back-to-back three-pointers by Nate Dahl and Luke Winkel to take their first lead of the game at the 7:07 mark of the second half. The teams battled late into the game as a layup by Hawks gave St. Cloud State a 52-47 lead with 2:07 remaining. The Wildcats finished their own layup on the ensuing possession to cut the deficit down to three points. WSC ramped up their defensive pressure late as they forced Winkel into a turnover in the backcourt. What looked like an open layup was erased by Morgan who came up with a clutch block with 39 seconds left. Nate Dahl picked up the rebound and would be fouled. Dahl, shooting one and one, missed the free throw as Wayne State nailed a jumper to now only trail by one point with the score set at 52-51. With the Huskies having the ball, the Wildcats again fouled, this time it was Morgan who was shooting one and one. Morgan missed the free throw with 18 seconds left as WSC raced down and finished a layup to take a 53-52 lead with 12 seconds remaining. With a chance to now win the game, Dahl drove into the lane and would have his layup attempt blocked. Philippe came away with a huge offensive rebound and went to put it back up but was fouled with three seconds left. Philippe missed his first attempt but tied the game at 53 by making the second shot. The Wildcats missed a buzzer beating three-pointer as the game would head into overtime. WSC drew first blood in extra time as they cashed a three-pointer. On the ensuing offensive possession, Hawks found Morgan down in the paint who had freed himself with a cut and finished a layup while getting fouled. Morgan did not convert the three-point play, but grabbed a defensive rebound after the Huskies forced a miss. Morgan then swung the ball to Philippe on the offensive possession as he splashed a three to give St. Cloud State a 58-56 lead with 3:44 left in overtime. The Wildcats would knock in their own three to retake the lead, but it was Philippe again who knocked down a big three to take the lead right back. With a 61-59 lead with 2:23 remaining, the Huskies picked up their defense by holding WSC to one field goal in the final minutes of overtime. The Huskies would ultimately put the game away at the free throw line in that time frame as they knocked in 10 of their final 12 free throw attempts. St. Cloud State would go on to win 71-63 in overtime for their ninth win of the season. Nate Dahl paced the Huskies in scoring and nearly tallied a double-double with 18 points and eight rebounds. Dahl also nabbed three steals while making three of his five three-point attempts. He has scored 18+ points in three straight games while making 2+ threes in all three games. Kynan Philippe tied his career-high in scoring as he tallied 15 points while grabbing a career-high eight rebounds. Philippe also cashed three threes and tallied a block and steal. This was the fifth game this season where Philippe has made 3+ three-pointers.
St. Cloud State Statistical Leaders (total-average)
St. Cloud State Team Stats (NSIC Ranking)
All stats accumulated 1/6/25
Series History
Wednesday's game against Concordia-St. Paul will be the 35th meeting between the programs with the Huskies holding a 25-9 advantage. SCSU has lost the past two games against the Golden Bears including their matchup earlier this season.
Both teams got off to fast starts as a dunk by Wyatt Hawks tied the game at 18 with 12:29 left in the half. From that point, the Golden Bears went on a quick 16-3 run to take a 34-21 lead. Despite the double-digit deficit, the Huskies clawed back into the game as a putback dunk by Hawks brought St. Cloud State within two points with 5:11 remaining in the half. The two teams continued to trade punches until CSP ended the half on a 10-0 run in the final 1:32 of the half to take a 59-46 lead at the break. The offensive fireworks continued into the second half as neither team slowed their pace from the first half. A inbounds steal and layup by Lee Marks III got the Huskies within eight points at the 13:03 mark of the second half, but St. Cloud State was unable to get any closer in the game as they would ultimately fall 115-104 to Concordia-St. Paul. Antwan Kimmons of CSP fell three points shy of breaking the school record for points in a single game with 43 points. The Huskies were unable to stop the Golden Bears offense as they shot 62.1% from the field and 52% from three-point range.
Saturday's game against Minnesota Duluth will be the 102nd meeting between the teams with St. Cloud State holding a 60-41 advantage. The Huskies have lost four straight games against the Bulldogs including both of their matchups last season.
Despite trailing 4-0 after the first four minutes of the game at Halenbeck Hall, 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. Lucas Morgan knocked down a three pointer on back-to-back possessions, both coming off assists from Luke Taylor. Jamiir Allen capped off what a 17-4 Huskies run with back-to-back three-pointers of his own, both coming off assists from Nate Dahl 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 Vance Peiffer 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 Anish Ramlall 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 first seven minutes of the game at Duluth was extremely defensive and both teams struggled to find their offensive footing. SCSU found itself holding an 11-7 lead after Nate Dahl drained his second three pointer of the game. The game bounced back-and-forth for the next seven minutes, but Duluth started to take control, using an 8-0 to give it a 28-20 lead with 4:49 remaining in the half. The Bulldogs pushed their lead up to nine points but went into halftime leading 40-33 after Dahl finished a layup with five seconds left.
SCSU had its struggles defensively as UMD shot 48% from the field, but just 33% from beyond the arc. The Huskies had a solid offensive half themselves, shooting 41% from the field and 38% from three-point range, but defensive lapses hindered their ability to cut into the lead late in the half.
Coming out of halftime, the Huskies found new life on both ends of the floor. Wyatt Hawks scored the first five points for St. Cloud State – finishing a layup and knocking down his second career three-pointer. The Huskies then tied the game after Dahl picked off Austin Andrews and took it coast to coast and finishing with a reverse layup. UMD took back the lead with a layup of its own, but Jamiir Allen responded, cashing a step-back three to give SCSU a 43-42 lead ending a 10-2 run by St. Cloud State. UMD hit back with a 14-4 run which gave them a 56-47 lead with 12:11 left in the game.
SCSU didn't back down, going on a quick 6-0 run to get back within three-points of Duluth who still led 56-53. With five minutes remaining in the game, the Huskies used great ball movement on offense, swinging the ball around the perimeter before entering it into Luke Taylor, who showed off his strength, finishing a layup through contact for the and-one. After converting on the free throw, the Huskies were made it a one possession game. Duluth responded to every run the Huskies made, killing any potential momentum the Huskies tried to gain.
Matt Willert gave the Huskies life with a three-pointer at the 2:23 mark to cut the lead down to five, but a quick 9-0 run by the Bulldogs closed the curtains on the Huskies. Duluth went on to win 80-69 as the Huskies ran out of gas late.
Scouting Concordia-St. Paul
The Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears enter this matchup sitting in 2nd place in the NSIC as they hold a 12-2 record with a 7-2 mark in conference play. They are currently receiving votes in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches poll. The Golden Bears are currently in the midst of a three-game winning streak having defeated Minnesota Duluth, #12 MSU Moorhead, and Northern State. CSP came into this season being projected to finish 8th after going 10-18 with a 5-17 record in conference play last season.
The Golden Bears are led by Antwan Kimmons who has been one of the best players in the NSIC and in Division II. His 25.5 points per game leads the conference while being the fourth highest mark in the nation. Kimmons is shooting 56% from the field, 35.4% from three while grabbing 7.2 rebounds and dishing 5.9 assists. This season, Kimmons has three 40-point games including 43 points against the Huskies and MSU Moorhead. Three other Golden Bears near a 15 point per game average in Ben Kopetzki, Marcus Skeete, and Cade Meyer. Kopetzki and Skeete each score 14.7 per game while Meyer is scoring 14.5 points per game.
Head coach Matt Fletcher enters fifth season with Concordia-St. Paul in 2024-25. Fletcher has tallied a record of 22-76 in his tenure at CSP. Prior to his time with the Golden Bears, Fletcher started his career at Bethany Lutheran where he compiled a 76-33 record along with two NCAA Division II Tournament Appearances and a UMAC Coach of the Year Honor.
Concordia-St. Paul Statistical Leaders (total-average)
Concordia-St. Paul Team Stats (NSIC Ranking)
Scouting Minnesota Duluth
The Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs come into this matchup holding a 9-5 record with a 4-4 mark in conference play. The four conference wins have come against Augustana, Wayne State, Northern State, and MSU Moorhead. The Bulldogs came into this season projected to finish third in the conference after going 26-7 with an 18-4 record in conference play a season ago. UMD lost in the NSIC Championship game to Minnesota State Mankato, but still qualified for the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs defeated Fort Hays State 59-58 in the quarterfinals of the Central Region, but their season ended in the semifinals following a 62-71 loss to Northwest Missouri State. The offseason saw the Bulldogs lose Drew Blair who averaged 22.8 points last season.
Through 14 games, Charlie Katona is the leading scorer for UMD with a 16.0 per game average while shooting 50.9% from the field. He also leads the team in rebounding with 7.1 boards per game and 1.6 steals per game. Two other Bulldogs score in double-digits in Caleb Siwek and Joshua Brown who score 12.7 and 11.9 points per game respectively.
Head Coach Justin Wieck enters his seventh season with the Bulldogs in 2024-25. During his tenure Wieck has totaled a record of 122-49 while leading UMD to five postseason appearances including three NCAA Tournament appearances.
Minnesota Duluth Statistical Leaders (total-average)
Minnesota Duluth Team Stats (NSIC Ranking)
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
Live State will be provided by Concordia-St. Paul on Wednesday and then by Minnesota Duluth on Saturday. 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 audio broadcast for both games.
Last Time Out
The Huskies kicked off 2025 this past weekend as they host Augustana and Wayne State. The first five minutes of Friday's game were tightly contested, but Augustana slowly built up a seven-point lead. The Huskies started to gain momentum as Nate Dahl cashed a three as the shot clock expired while getting fouled at the 14:36 mark of the first half. Dahl converted the free throw as the Huskies worked their way to a two-point deficit after a layup by Vance Peiffer. The teams continued to battle as a three by Nathan Bunkosky cut the deficit to one-point, but the Vikings brought the lead back up to six points after an 8-2 run. Augustana continued to extend their lead as they led 34-24 with 5:57 left in the half. The Huskies were able to chip away in the final minutes of the half, but Augustana ultimately led 48-37 going into halftime. The Huskies were aggressive all half attacking the rim as they got to the line 22 times and converted 18 of those attempts. St. Cloud State defensively came out of the break energetic as they held the Vikings scoreless for the three minutes of the half. During that stretch, SCSU brought the game back within five points as they continued their aggressive offensive play. From that initial stretch of the half, the teams stalemated for almost the entire half. Augustana could never blow the game open as the Huskies had an answer for every run by the Vikings. With Augustana leading by five points with 3:24 remaining, Luke Winkel finished inside to cut the deficit to three. SCSU strung together two stops as on their offensive possession following the second stop, Dahl drove inside, took contact, and finished a layup while getting fouled. Dahl tied the game at 68 by converting the and-one opportunity with 2:01 left in the game. The defense continued to be stout for the Huskies as they forced two more misses. Lee Marks III came away with a big defensive rebound and was fouled in the process, sending him to the line. Marks made his first attempt to give St. Cloud State the lead with 41 second remaining but missed his second attempt. With now 21 seconds left, Augustana got the lead back after a layup by Akoi Akoi. SCSU called a timeout, now having an opportunity to win the game. Out of the timeout, Winkel had a baseline drive where he dumped it down to Wyatt Hawks with five seconds left who had his layup attempt blocked by Akoi. The Huskies fouled Augustana with two seconds left where Malyk Rebetez missed his first attempt, but made the second to give the Vikings a 71-69 lead. SCSU again called a timeout, but would need to travel the full length of the court to potentially tie or win the game. On the opposite baseline, Winkel inbounded to Dahl who had gathered a head of steam. Dahl took a few dribbles to get past halfcourt before he fired a shot just outside the halfcourt line. His shot to win the game narrowly missed as he hit the back rim as time expired. St. Cloud State would ultimately lose 69-71, snapping their three-game winning streak. Nate Dahl recorded his first career double-double as he tallied 22 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. Dahl was aggressive all night and got to the line 10 times, making all 10 of his attempts. This was the second straight game for Dahl where he has scored 20+ points and fourth game this season. Luke Winkel tallied his third straight game scoring in double-figures as he notched 15 points and dished four assists. Like Dahl, Winkel was aggressive and got to the line 10 times, making nine of those attempts. This was Winkel's sixth game this season dishing 4+ assists.
Saturday's game against Wayne State saw the Huskies get off to a slow offensive start as they trailed 15-6 through the first 10 minutes of the game. Wayne State expanded that lead to double-digits with 6:42 left in the half as they led 21-11. SCSU started to find some offensive groove as they scored 10 points to end the half, but still found themselves trailing 28-21 at halftime. The Huskies shot 35% from the field while going 1/7 from beyond the arc in the first half. Through the first 10 minutes of the second half, Wayne State would lead by 7+ points before Kynan Philippe started to spark a comeback. Philippe cashed a three at the 10:50 mark of the second half and then finished a transition layup after Lucas Morgan nabbed a steal and then found an open Philippe on the fast break. With their lead now only four-points, Wayne State called a timeout to halt the momentum. The Huskies produced the first bucket out of the timeout as Wyatt Hawks cashed a mid-range jumper to put SCSU within two-points. WSC responded with a three, but St. Cloud State responded to their response with back-to-back three-pointers by Nate Dahl and Luke Winkel to take their first lead of the game at the 7:07 mark of the second half. The teams battled late into the game as a layup by Hawks gave St. Cloud State a 52-47 lead with 2:07 remaining. The Wildcats finished their own layup on the ensuing possession to cut the deficit down to three points. WSC ramped up their defensive pressure late as they forced Winkel into a turnover in the backcourt. What looked like an open layup was erased by Morgan who came up with a clutch block with 39 seconds left. Nate Dahl picked up the rebound and would be fouled. Dahl, shooting one and one, missed the free throw as Wayne State nailed a jumper to now only trail by one point with the score set at 52-51. With the Huskies having the ball, the Wildcats again fouled, this time it was Morgan who was shooting one and one. Morgan missed the free throw with 18 seconds left as WSC raced down and finished a layup to take a 53-52 lead with 12 seconds remaining. With a chance to now win the game, Dahl drove into the lane and would have his layup attempt blocked. Philippe came away with a huge offensive rebound and went to put it back up but was fouled with three seconds left. Philippe missed his first attempt but tied the game at 53 by making the second shot. The Wildcats missed a buzzer beating three-pointer as the game would head into overtime. WSC drew first blood in extra time as they cashed a three-pointer. On the ensuing offensive possession, Hawks found Morgan down in the paint who had freed himself with a cut and finished a layup while getting fouled. Morgan did not convert the three-point play, but grabbed a defensive rebound after the Huskies forced a miss. Morgan then swung the ball to Philippe on the offensive possession as he splashed a three to give St. Cloud State a 58-56 lead with 3:44 left in overtime. The Wildcats would knock in their own three to retake the lead, but it was Philippe again who knocked down a big three to take the lead right back. With a 61-59 lead with 2:23 remaining, the Huskies picked up their defense by holding WSC to one field goal in the final minutes of overtime. The Huskies would ultimately put the game away at the free throw line in that time frame as they knocked in 10 of their final 12 free throw attempts. St. Cloud State would go on to win 71-63 in overtime for their ninth win of the season. Nate Dahl paced the Huskies in scoring and nearly tallied a double-double with 18 points and eight rebounds. Dahl also nabbed three steals while making three of his five three-point attempts. He has scored 18+ points in three straight games while making 2+ threes in all three games. Kynan Philippe tied his career-high in scoring as he tallied 15 points while grabbing a career-high eight rebounds. Philippe also cashed three threes and tallied a block and steal. This was the fifth game this season where Philippe has made 3+ three-pointers.
St. Cloud State Statistical Leaders (total-average)
- Points- Nate Dahl (212-13.3)
- Rebounds- Wyatt Hawks (129-8.1)
- Offensive rebounds- Wyatt Hawks (47-2.9)
- Assists- Luke Winkel (41-2.7)
- Steals- Nate Dahl/Luke Winkel (18-1.1/1.2)
- Blocks- Wyatt Hawks (16-1.0)
- Stocks- Wyatt Hawks (30-1.9)
- Field goals made- Wyatt Hawks (66-4.1)
- Three-point field goals made- Kynan Philippe (26-1.6)
- Free throw makes- Nate Dahl (74-4.6)
- Minutes- Wyatt Hawks (441-27.6)
St. Cloud State Team Stats (NSIC Ranking)
- 75.3 points per game (8th) | 72.6 points per game allowed (8th) | 2.7 scoring margin (9th)
- 44.5 field goal percentage (11th) | 35.0 three-point percentage (5th) | 71.5 free throw percentage (6th)
- 46.1 opponent field goal percentage (12th) | 31.8 opponent three-point percentage (4th)
- 35.3 rebounds per game (9th) | 10.8 offensive rebounds per game (4th)
- 33.2 opponent rebounds per game (6th) | 2.1 rebounding margin (7th)
- 12.6 turnovers per game (12th) | 13.6 turnovers forced per game (2nd) | 1.00 turnover margin (5th)
- 2.25 blocks per game (14th)
- 8.13 steals per game (2nd)
- 10.50 assists per game (15th)
- 7.1 three-point field goals made per game (12th)
All stats accumulated 1/6/25
Series History
Wednesday's game against Concordia-St. Paul will be the 35th meeting between the programs with the Huskies holding a 25-9 advantage. SCSU has lost the past two games against the Golden Bears including their matchup earlier this season.
Both teams got off to fast starts as a dunk by Wyatt Hawks tied the game at 18 with 12:29 left in the half. From that point, the Golden Bears went on a quick 16-3 run to take a 34-21 lead. Despite the double-digit deficit, the Huskies clawed back into the game as a putback dunk by Hawks brought St. Cloud State within two points with 5:11 remaining in the half. The two teams continued to trade punches until CSP ended the half on a 10-0 run in the final 1:32 of the half to take a 59-46 lead at the break. The offensive fireworks continued into the second half as neither team slowed their pace from the first half. A inbounds steal and layup by Lee Marks III got the Huskies within eight points at the 13:03 mark of the second half, but St. Cloud State was unable to get any closer in the game as they would ultimately fall 115-104 to Concordia-St. Paul. Antwan Kimmons of CSP fell three points shy of breaking the school record for points in a single game with 43 points. The Huskies were unable to stop the Golden Bears offense as they shot 62.1% from the field and 52% from three-point range.
Saturday's game against Minnesota Duluth will be the 102nd meeting between the teams with St. Cloud State holding a 60-41 advantage. The Huskies have lost four straight games against the Bulldogs including both of their matchups last season.
Despite trailing 4-0 after the first four minutes of the game at Halenbeck Hall, 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. Lucas Morgan knocked down a three pointer on back-to-back possessions, both coming off assists from Luke Taylor. Jamiir Allen capped off what a 17-4 Huskies run with back-to-back three-pointers of his own, both coming off assists from Nate Dahl 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 Vance Peiffer 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 Anish Ramlall 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 first seven minutes of the game at Duluth was extremely defensive and both teams struggled to find their offensive footing. SCSU found itself holding an 11-7 lead after Nate Dahl drained his second three pointer of the game. The game bounced back-and-forth for the next seven minutes, but Duluth started to take control, using an 8-0 to give it a 28-20 lead with 4:49 remaining in the half. The Bulldogs pushed their lead up to nine points but went into halftime leading 40-33 after Dahl finished a layup with five seconds left.
SCSU had its struggles defensively as UMD shot 48% from the field, but just 33% from beyond the arc. The Huskies had a solid offensive half themselves, shooting 41% from the field and 38% from three-point range, but defensive lapses hindered their ability to cut into the lead late in the half.
Coming out of halftime, the Huskies found new life on both ends of the floor. Wyatt Hawks scored the first five points for St. Cloud State – finishing a layup and knocking down his second career three-pointer. The Huskies then tied the game after Dahl picked off Austin Andrews and took it coast to coast and finishing with a reverse layup. UMD took back the lead with a layup of its own, but Jamiir Allen responded, cashing a step-back three to give SCSU a 43-42 lead ending a 10-2 run by St. Cloud State. UMD hit back with a 14-4 run which gave them a 56-47 lead with 12:11 left in the game.
SCSU didn't back down, going on a quick 6-0 run to get back within three-points of Duluth who still led 56-53. With five minutes remaining in the game, the Huskies used great ball movement on offense, swinging the ball around the perimeter before entering it into Luke Taylor, who showed off his strength, finishing a layup through contact for the and-one. After converting on the free throw, the Huskies were made it a one possession game. Duluth responded to every run the Huskies made, killing any potential momentum the Huskies tried to gain.
Matt Willert gave the Huskies life with a three-pointer at the 2:23 mark to cut the lead down to five, but a quick 9-0 run by the Bulldogs closed the curtains on the Huskies. Duluth went on to win 80-69 as the Huskies ran out of gas late.
Scouting Concordia-St. Paul
The Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears enter this matchup sitting in 2nd place in the NSIC as they hold a 12-2 record with a 7-2 mark in conference play. They are currently receiving votes in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches poll. The Golden Bears are currently in the midst of a three-game winning streak having defeated Minnesota Duluth, #12 MSU Moorhead, and Northern State. CSP came into this season being projected to finish 8th after going 10-18 with a 5-17 record in conference play last season.
The Golden Bears are led by Antwan Kimmons who has been one of the best players in the NSIC and in Division II. His 25.5 points per game leads the conference while being the fourth highest mark in the nation. Kimmons is shooting 56% from the field, 35.4% from three while grabbing 7.2 rebounds and dishing 5.9 assists. This season, Kimmons has three 40-point games including 43 points against the Huskies and MSU Moorhead. Three other Golden Bears near a 15 point per game average in Ben Kopetzki, Marcus Skeete, and Cade Meyer. Kopetzki and Skeete each score 14.7 per game while Meyer is scoring 14.5 points per game.
Head coach Matt Fletcher enters fifth season with Concordia-St. Paul in 2024-25. Fletcher has tallied a record of 22-76 in his tenure at CSP. Prior to his time with the Golden Bears, Fletcher started his career at Bethany Lutheran where he compiled a 76-33 record along with two NCAA Division II Tournament Appearances and a UMAC Coach of the Year Honor.
Concordia-St. Paul Statistical Leaders (total-average)
- Points- Antwan Kimmons (382-25.5)
- Rebounds- Marcus Skeete (113-7.5)
- Offensive rebounds- Cade Meyer (31-2.1)
- Assists- Antwan Kimmons (88-5.9)
- Steals- Marcus Skeete (21-1.4)
- Blocks- Cade Meyer (11-0.7)
- Stocks- Marcus Skeete (26-1.9)
- Field goals made- Antwan Kimmons (130-8.7)
- Three-point field goals made- Ben Kopetzki (30-2.0)
- Free throw makes- Antwan Kimmons (105-7.0)
- Minutes- Antwan Kimmons (513-34.2)
Concordia-St. Paul Team Stats (NSIC Ranking)
- 88.4 points per game (1st) | 82.3 points per game allowed (15th) | 6.1 scoring margin (6th)
- 49.7 field goal percentage (1st) | 37.3 three-point percentage (3rd) | 66.3 free throw percentage (12th)
- 44.3 opponent field goal percentage (10th) | 31.0 opponent three-point percentage (2nd)
- 39.7 rebounds per game (1st) | 9.5 offensive rebounds per game (8th)
- 37.7 opponent rebounds per game (14th) | 1.9 rebounding margin (8th)
- 11.1 turnovers per game (7th) | 10.0 turnovers forced per game (13th) | -1.13 turnover margin (12th)
- 2.60 blocks per game (12th)
- 5.27 steals per game (14th)
- 14.87 assists per game (3rd)
- 8.9 three-point field goals made per game (2nd)
Scouting Minnesota Duluth
The Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs come into this matchup holding a 9-5 record with a 4-4 mark in conference play. The four conference wins have come against Augustana, Wayne State, Northern State, and MSU Moorhead. The Bulldogs came into this season projected to finish third in the conference after going 26-7 with an 18-4 record in conference play a season ago. UMD lost in the NSIC Championship game to Minnesota State Mankato, but still qualified for the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs defeated Fort Hays State 59-58 in the quarterfinals of the Central Region, but their season ended in the semifinals following a 62-71 loss to Northwest Missouri State. The offseason saw the Bulldogs lose Drew Blair who averaged 22.8 points last season.
Through 14 games, Charlie Katona is the leading scorer for UMD with a 16.0 per game average while shooting 50.9% from the field. He also leads the team in rebounding with 7.1 boards per game and 1.6 steals per game. Two other Bulldogs score in double-digits in Caleb Siwek and Joshua Brown who score 12.7 and 11.9 points per game respectively.
Head Coach Justin Wieck enters his seventh season with the Bulldogs in 2024-25. During his tenure Wieck has totaled a record of 122-49 while leading UMD to five postseason appearances including three NCAA Tournament appearances.
Minnesota Duluth Statistical Leaders (total-average)
- Points- Charlie Katona (224-16.0)
- Rebounds- Charlie Katona (100-7.1)
- Offensive rebounds- Austin Andrews (21-1.5)
- Assists- Charlie Katona (29-2.1)
- Steals- Charlie Katona (22-1.6)
- Blocks- Mattie Thompson (13-1.1)
- Stocks- Mattie Thompson (30-2.5)
- Field goals made- Charlie Katona (85-6.1)
- Three-point field goals made- Caleb Siwek (32-2.3)
- Free throw makes- Charlie Katona (47-3.4)
- Minutes- Caleb Siwek (432-30.9)
Minnesota Duluth Team Stats (NSIC Ranking)
- 76.3 points per game (5th) | 66.9 points per game allowed (4th) | 9.4 scoring margin (2nd)
- 47.8 field goal percentage (4th) | 34.2 three-point percentage (9th) | 66.6 free throw percentage (11th)
- 42.0 opponent field goal percentage (4th) | 32.7 opponent three-point percentage (8th)
- 36.3 rebounds per game (8th) | 9.1 offensive rebounds per game (9th)
- 31.6 opponent rebounds per game (2nd) | 4.7 rebounding margin (4th)
- 10.7 turnovers per game (5th) | 12.2 turnovers forced per game (6th) | 1.50 turnover margin (4th)
- 3.86 blocks per game (3rd)
- 7.21 steals per game (5th)
- 11.71 assists per game (12th)
- 7.4 three-point field goals made per game (10th)
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