St. Cloud State Men’s Basketball Travels to Duluth for Bulldog Country Basketball Classic Before Conference Opener Against Minnesota State

Friday, November 21

Duluth, Minn.

4:00 P.M.

St. Cloud State

RV Lake Superior State

Photo by: Nathaly Delgado

St. Cloud State Men’s Basketball Travels to Duluth for Bulldog Country Basketball Classic Before Conference Opener Against Minnesota State

11/19/2025 2:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Huskies to play RV Lake Superior State, No. 13 Michigan Tech, and RV Minnesota State

St. Cloud, Minn. – St. Cloud State Men's Basketball (0-2) travel to Duluth, MN. on Friday, November 21 and Saturday, November 22 to take on RV Lake Superior State and No. 13 Michigan in the Bulldog Country Basketball Classic. The Huskies will then travel to Mankato, MN. on Tuesday, November 25 for their conference opener against RV Minnesota State. Friday's game against Lake Superior State will tip-off at 4:00 p.m. while Saturday's game against Michigan Tech is set for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday's game against Minnesota State will tip-off at 7:30 p.m.

Follow the Huskies
All three games will be streamed live for free on the NSIC Network. Live Stats will be provided by Minnesota Duluth for the weekend games. More information of the event can be found on the Bulldog Country Basketball Classic home page. Tuesday's game will also be broadcasted on the Varsity Network. Steve Linzmeier, the Voice of St. Cloud State Basketball, can be heard on the audio broadcast.

Last Time Out
St. Cloud State tipped off their season this past weekend as they played in the Hillyard Tipoff Classic against Northwest Missouri State and Emporia State.

Huskies Comeback Attempt Falls Short in 71-65 Loss to Northwest Missouri State
The first half of the game was interlocked in a defensive battle. St. Cloud State forced 12 turnovers in the half and played with pace as they scored 14 fast break points. The Huskies would find themselves trailing 43-34 at the halftime break after shooting 36.7% from the field and 0/10 from three. Luke Winkel paced SCSU in scoring in the first half with 15 points.

Moving into the second half, St. Cloud State chipped away early as they cut the deficit to four points. The Bearcats would respond to the run and ultimately pushed the lead up to 11 points with 9:39 left in the game. A late surge by SCSU brought the deficit to four points after a tip-in by Lee Marks III. The Huskies had opportunities at the rim to get within a single possession but were unable to capitalize. The defense held strong as they continued to force misses and turnovers. Marks III sunk a pair of free throws with 1:32 left in the game to bring the Huskies within two points. SCSU got the defensive stop that they needed on the ensuing possession but could not come away with points on their offensive possession. NWMSU had the ball with 41 seconds remaining in the game and missed a potential dagger three with 19 seconds left. The Bearcats came away with a crucial offensive rebound as the Huskies would be forced to foul. NWMSU iced the game at the line by making their final six free throw attempts as St. Cloud State fell 71-65 in their season opener.

Top Huskies

Luke Winkel was the game's leading scorer with 24 points stemming from shooting 6/15 from the field and 12/16 from the free throw line. Winkel also totaled three rebounds, two assists, and four steals. His 12 free throw makes set a new career high.
Lee Marks III nearly notched a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds. He shot 5/12 from the field.
Nate Dahl grabbed 10 rebounds to go with six points and a steal. Dahl made four of his six free throw attempts.

Cold Shooting Hurts Huskies in 77-61 Loss to Emporia State
The first five minutes of the game were tightly contested between the teams as the game was knotted up at 10 after a layup by Luke Winkel. ESU started to take control with a 10-0 run as they led 20-10. A timely three by Will Brands stopped the bleeding, but the Hornets continued their momentum throughout the remainder of the half. ST. Cloud State shot 25% from the field and 17.6% from three in the first half as they trailed 37-21 going into halftime.

The second half saw Emporia State extend their lead up to 21 points early in the half. In need of a spark, Kynan Philippe produced seven straight points for the Huskies as the deficit was cut down to 11 with 13:08 left in the game. SCSU continued to chip away as back-to-back layups by Wyatt Hawks brought the Huskies within four points with 4:40 remaining. The momentum held strong for St. Cloud State as a defensive stop led to another layup, this time by Lee Marks III. The Hornets halted the Huskies energy with a three-pointer and then a layup as they pushed their lead back up to seven points with at the 3:14 mark of the second half. St. Cloud State was unable to connect on another field goal the rest of the game as they were ultimately defeated 77-61 against Emporia State.

Top Huskies

Wyatt Hawks nearly notched a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds. He shot 3/6 from the field and blocked one shot.
Luke Winkel led the Huskies in scoring with 12 points to go with four rebounds and assists. Winkel shot 3/8 from the field and made five of his seven free throws.
Lee Marks III tallied nine points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Marks III shot 3/7 from the field.

NSIC Preseason Poll
Coming into this season, the Huskies were projected to finish second in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Preseason Coaches' Poll. St. Cloud State returns 11 players from last years team with sophomore Luke Winkel being tabbed as the player to watch. The Huskies were also receiving votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) preseason poll. SCSU was listed as the top team to receive votes with 52 points and nearly cracked the top 25 with Lubbock Christian ranking slightly ahead at No. 25 with 56 points.

Head Coach Quincy Henderson enters his fourth season at the helm ahead of the 2025-26 season. Henderson and the Huskies took a leap forward a season ago as they finished with a 20-12 record and a 15-7 mark in conference play to place third in the NSIC. A 68-60 win over Bemidji State in the first round of the NSIC Tournament would be the first postseason win for the Huskies during the Henderson era. SCSU would be defeated 78-72 against Minnesota State in the quarterfinals, ending their season.

"I am fortunate to coach a quality group of guys that have shown up consistently to compete regardless of the time of day or day of the week," said Henderson. "They have held each other accountable through the preseason which has allowed us to cover a lot in a short period of time. This will be the most tenured group we have had in my time here, and we look forward to building on the progress we made a season ago. The NSIC will be as competitive and well coached as it always has been which should make for some quality basketball across the league. We are excited to get underway in November."

Entering his sophomore season, guard Luke Winkel was named the player to watch for the Huskies after earning First Team All-NSIC in his freshman campaign. Winkel played in 31 games and paced St. Cloud State with team-highs of 13.3 points, 3.9 assists, and 1.4 steals. He also shot 40.3% from the field, 38.1% from three, and 80.4% from the free throw line while starting the final 16 games. The Ankeny, Iowa native produced nine games with 17+ points, seven games with 6+ assists, and 12 games with 5+ field goals made.

"Luke had a very solid freshman year with the program," said Henderson. "He was asked to do a lot early on and gradually grew into that role playing his best basketball through the second half of the season. He has a great work ethic and wherever he has been, he has made the players around him better which led to a First Team All-Conference selection this past season. I know he has had a great offseason in preparation for the upcoming year, and I expect him to pick up where he left off; playing at a high level."

St. Cloud State will return four of their five starters from a year ago including Winkel's backcourt teammate in Second Team All-NSIC honoree Nate Dahl, Australian sharpshooter Kynan Philippe, and the nightly double-double threat in big man Wyatt Hawks. Dahl made 28 starts last season and finished second on the team in scoring with 11.9 points per game. He also averaged 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.4 steals while finishing fourth in the conference in free throw attempts per game with 4.1. Philippe enters his second season with the Huskies after averaging 8.5 points and leading the team in three-pointers made with 56. He totaled 11 games where he made 3+ threes a year ago. Hawks begins his junior campaign after starting in all 32 games last year while averaging 10.3 points and a team-highs of 7.5 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, and 1.8 stocks. Hawks recorded two double-doubles a season ago with seven games where he grabbed 10+ rebounds.

Other notable returners will be junior Anish Ramlall, redshirt sophomores Nathan Bunkosky and Izaac Neal, and sophomore Lee Marks III. Ramlall started 16 games last season while Bunkosky, Neal, and Marks III played important roles off the bench for SCSU.

Rounding out the roster is junior Vance Peiffer, sophomore transfer Bob Griechen, sophomore Landon Riebel, redshirt freshmen Tre Blisset and Will Brands, and freshmen KJ Morris and Azayah Washington. Griechen transferred from West Texas A&M where he started 19 games and earned Lone Star Conference All-Freshman Team.

Preseason Coaches' Poll
Returning to the NSIC will be the North and South Division. With the insertion of Jamestown to the NSIC, divisions will be back in play for the first time since the 2022-23 season now that there is an even number of teams. The top 12 overall teams will make the NSIC Tournament.

Poll Results (Division Ranking)

Southwest Minnesota State (No. 1 South)
St. Cloud State (No. 2 South)
Minnesota State (T-No. 3 South)
Concordia-St. Paul (No. 5 South)
Augustana (T-No. 3 South)

Minnesota Duluth (No. 1 North)

MSU Moorhead (No. 2 North)
Sioux Falls (No. 6 South)
Winona State (No. 7 South)
Wayne State (No. 8 South)
Minot State (No. 3 North)
Bemidji State (No. 4 North)
Northern State (No. 5 North)
Jamestown (No. 6 North)
Minnesota Crookston (No. 7 North)
UMary (No. 8 North)

Series History
Friday's game against Lake Superior State will be the first meeting between the two programs.

Saturday's game against Michigan Tech will be the 57th all-time game between the teams with St. Cloud State holding a 39-17 advantage in the series. The teams have faced-off each of the past four years with each team winning two games. In last year's meeting, Michigan Tech came out on top with an 88-77 win.

Huskies Upended by Michigan Tech, Fall 88-70- November 27, 2024
The teams battled for the first four minutes of play as Michigan Tech narrowly held a 13-11 lead. MTU started to take control of the game with an 11-4 run where they made three three-pointers. Tech held a 24-15 lead at the 12:30 mark of the first half. The momentum continued for the Michigan Huskies as a 10-0 run gave them a 37-19 lead with 6:59 left in the first half. St. Cloud State battled back late in the first half as a free throw by Hanif Muhammad set the score at 39-28. Despite the late surge, St. Cloud State would still find themselves trailing 44-28 at halftime. The Huskies continued to chip away in the second half as free throws by Lucas Morgan brought the SCSU within 14 points. A 10-3 run by Michigan Tech would break the game open as MTU would lead 59-38 with 15:06 left in the game. St. Cloud State would trail by 18+ points the remainder of the game as Michigan Tech defeated SCSU 88-70, snapping the Huskies two-game winning streak. Michigan Tech put together a hot shooting night as they shot 51% from the field and partnered that with 50% from three on 14 makes.

Top Huskies

Lucas Morgan led the Huskies in scoring with a season-high of 18 points. Morgan got to the free throw line 12 times, making 10 of his attempts, both of which were career-highs. He also grabbed three rebounds and made two three-pointers.
Nate Dahl tallied his sixth game of the season in double-digit scoring with 13 points. Dahl converted six of his seven free throw attempts while grabbing three rebounds.
Lee Marks III set a career-high in scoring with nine points while tying his career-high in rebounds with five.

Tuesday's game against Minnesota State will be 194th matchup in the storied rivalry. St. Cloud State owns a 99-96 lead in the series between the two programs. The two teams faced off three times last year, one of which in the NSIC Tournament, where the Mavericks won two of the three games.

Huskies Pick Up Big 80-75 Win on the Road Against Mankato- January 18, 2025
The Huskies got off a another 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.

Top Huskies

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.
Kynan Philippe scored 11 points while draining three of his five three-point attempts. He also totaled two rebounds and assists.

Cold Shooting Hurts Huskies in 70-52 loss to RV Minnesota State- February 21, 2025
The Mavericks struck first in the game as a three-pointer put them up 11-4 five minutes into the game. Back-to-back layups for the Huskies offense started to pile momentum for SCSU as the teams battled back and forth. A layup by Nate Dahl cut the deficit to three points with 10:47 left in the half. From that layup, the Mavericks then went on an 8-0 run to lead by double-digits as they now held the momentum. MSU held that lead steadily the remainder of the half as they went into the break up 39-25. In the second half, St. Cloud State could never find a flow to their offense. From the 15:36 mark of the first half, SCSU had nearly a nine minute drought where they did not make a field goal. Luke Winkel made a three with 6:42 left in the game to end that drought, but the Huskies were down 16 points. St. Cloud State trailed by 15+ points the entire second half with their largest deficit at 22 points. The Huskies would lose 70-52. St. Cloud State had shooting splits of 33.3% from the field, 27.8% from three, and 56.3% from the free throw line.

Top Huskies

Lee Marks III was the only Husky to score in double-digits as he tallied 11 points, six rebounds, and two steals. This was Marks' fifth game scoring 11+ points this season and fourth game with 6+ rebounds.
Kynan Philippe scored nine points and grabbed five rebounds while making two threes. This was his 16th multi-three game this season.
Wyatt Hawks totaled eight points and seven rebounds. This was Hawks' 19th game with 7+ rebounds this season.

Huskies Comeback Attempt Falls Short in 78-72 Loss to Minnesota State- March 2, 2025
The Mavericks got off to a fast start in the game as they opened on an 11-2 run with Kyrese Willingham knocking down three three-pointers. The MSU steadily held a lead for the next four minutes as they were ahead 20-9 at the 12:06 mark of the first half. The Huskies then started to settle into the game as a layup by Luke Winkel capped off an 8-2 run to set the score at 22-17. A 9-3 run by the Mavericks pushed the lead back up to double-digits with 4:19 left in the half. The rest of the half stayed even as St. Coud State trailed 40-28 at the break. Mankato was on fire from three in the first half as they made seven of their 12 attempts from beyond the arc. SCSU came out of the break with energy and force as they opened the half on a 7-0 while holding MSU scoreless for the first four minutes of the half. A key and-one by the Mavericks halted the Huskies momentum as that kicked off a 12-2 run where the lead grew up to 15 points, leading to a timeout for St. Cloud State. The momentum stayed on the side of the Mavericks as the lead grew to 23 points with 7:07 remaining. With 2:17 left in the game, Mankato would hold a 74-56 lead. The Huskies did end the game on a 16-4 run as they ramped up their defensive pressure and intensity. St. Cloud State would ultimately run out of time as they fell 78-72 in the quarterfinals of the NSIC Tournament.

Top Huskies

Luke Winkel paced the Huskies in scoring with 20 points on 5/10 shooting and 9/10 at the free throw line. He also grabbed five rebounds, dished out four assists, and totaled a block and steal.
Nate Dahl scored 17 points while shooting 7/16 with two made threes. Dahl also totaled two rebounds and assists.
Lucas Morgan was the final Husky to score in double-digits as he tallied 15 points to go with six rebounds, and a season-high of four steals.

Scouting Lake Superior State
The Lake Superior State Lakers come into this matchup holding a 1-1 record after falling to Lake Erie College 96-92 and beating Northwood 83-81. LSSU is coming off a 2024-25 season where they went 30-7 with a 16-4 conference record. The Lakers reached the GLIAC Tournament Championship where they were defeated against Northern Michigan. LSSU still reached the NCAA Tournament where they made the Elite Eight. Lake Superior State came into this season projected to finish fifth in the GLIAC Preseason Coaches' Poll and are receiving votes in the NABC Poll.

The offseason saw the Lakers lose their top five scorers from their elite eight squad. Stepping up in their place have been a plethora of returners who have made the most of their expanded roles. Omar Suleiman is now the leading scorer for the Lakers after redshirting last season. He is averaging 23.0 points while shooting 48.4% from the field to go with 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.5 steals. Harrison Sorrelle and Tyler Jamison are scoring 16.5 and 16.0 points per game respectively. Sorrelle is shooting 63.2% from the field and 60% from three to go with 5.5 rebounds. Jamison has played one game and produced a line of 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and five steals. Robin Benipal is the final Laker scoring in double figures with 12.0 points per game.

Head Coach Steve Hettinga enters his 19th season with Lake Superior State in the 2025-26 season. Hettinga is the programs all-time leader in wins with a 320-200 record. He has guided LSSU to six NCAA Tournament appearances.

Scouting Michigan Tech
The Michigan Tech Huskies come into this game holding a 3-1 record with wins against No. 3 Dallas Baptist, No. 19 Lenoir-Rhyne, and Maryville. MTU is coming off a 2024-25 campaign where they produced a 24-8 record with a 17-3 mark in conference play. Michigan Tech would be defeated 69-68 against Northern Michigan in the GLIAC Tournament Semifinals but still reached the NCAA Tournament. They took down Northern Michigan in a rematch in their first round game before falling to Lake Superior State in the second round. MTU came into this season projected to win the GLIAC and are ranked No. 13 in the NABC Poll.

Michigan Tech is headlined by 2025 All-American Marcus Tomashek. He also earned Midwest Region Player of the Year and GLIAC Player of the Year. Tomashek was named GLIAC Preseason Player of the Year. The past two seasons have seen Tomashek score upwards of 22 points per game. This season, Tomashek is averaging 22.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.3 stocks while shooting 33.3% from the field. Gabe Smith is currently the only other MTU player scoring in double figures with 10.3 points to go with 6.3 rebounds, and 3.0 stocks. Smith is shooting 54.2% from the field.

Head Coach Josh Buettner enters his fifth season with Michigan Tech in the 2025-26 season. Buettner is a two-time GLIAC Coach of the Year and holds a 69-53 career record at MTU.

Michigan Tech will take on NSIC foe Minnesota Duluth on Friday before facing the Huskies on Saturday.

Scouting Minnesota State
The Minnesota State Mankato Mavericks currently hold a 4-1 record with wins against Northwest Missouri State, Central Missouri, Henderson State, and Crown. Mankato is coming off a 2024-25 season where they tallied a 20-12 record with a 15-7 mark in NSIC play to finish tied for third in the NSIC. The Mavericks defeated the Huskies in the NSIC Tournament quarterfinal before falling to Minot State in the semifinals. Minnesota State came into this season projected to finish third in the NSIC and tied for third in the south division. They opened the season as receiving votes in the NABC Poll.

The offseason saw the Mavericks graduate both of their All-Conference honorees from a season ago in Justin Eagins and Kyrese Willingham. Senior Malcolm Jones has stepped up in their place by averaging 17.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.8 stocks per game. Jones is shooting 62.1% from the field with two double-doubles on the year. He was named NSIC South Player of the Week on Monday. Juniors Trajian Sain and Caden Kirkman are the only other Mavericks scoring in double figures with 14.3 and 11.6 points respectively. Sain is shooting 59.3% from the field to go with 3.3 rebounds and stocks. Kirkman is shooting 54.5% from the field and is second on the team in rebounding with 7.2 boards per game.

Head Coach Matt Margenthaler enters his 25th season at Minnesota State in the 2025-26 season. He has produced a 735-509 record with 14 NCAA Tournament appearances including a National Championship in 2023-24. He is an eight time NCC/NSIC Coach of the Year.

Minnesota State will take on Grand Valley State on Friday and then Chadron State on Saturday before facing the Huskies on Tuesday.

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.