Huskies Rally From 13-Point Deficit to Down Bulldogs 92-87 in OT Thriller

Saturday, January 17

St. Cloud, Minn.

2:00 P.M.

St. Cloud State

13-5,10-2NSIC

Minnesota Duluth

10-8,6-6NSIC

OT 1

Minn. Duluth

St. Cloud St.

Photo by: Nathaly Delgado

Huskies Rally From 13-Point Deficit to Down Bulldogs 92-87 in OT Thriller

1/17/2026 8:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

SCSU stays undefeated at Halenbeck Hall with 8-0 record

St. Cloud, MN – St. Cloud State Men's Basketball (13-5, 10-2 NSIC) stayed unbeaten at Halenbeck Hall on the year as they defeated Minnesota Duluth 92-87 Saturday afternoon. The Huskies trailed by as many as 13 points and battled back to force overtime and ultimately come out victorious.

UMD produced a strong start to the game as they rattled off an 8-2 run in the first minute and a half. An and-one layup by Nate Dahl would cap off a 7-0 run as the Huskies took their first lead of the game. The Bulldogs would respond with a run of their own as they forced a SCSU timeout following a 14-2 run. UMD held firm on that lead the remainder of the half as they took a 52-41 score into halftime. UMD was on fire on the offensive end as they shot 65% from the field and 46% from three.

SCSU came out rejuvenated from the halftime break as they slowly chipped into the deficit. After an uncharacteristic first half of defense, the Huskies found the same intensity that had powered them throughout the year. While the Huskies looked to generate momentum, the Bulldogs continuously extinguished it as they led by 8+ points most of the half. Trailing by 10 points with 7:24 remaining, Wyatt Hawks and Bob Griechen added three points at the free throw line as the Huskies made their final push. After multiple defensive stops, Griechen added a runner in the lane as the deficit was down to five with 4:57 left. The next possession saw Hawks pin Kole Hanson's layup attempt for the monster block. With a rejuvenated Halenbeck Hall, SCSU played with pace as Kynan Philippe assisted Luke Winkel who cashed a three. Halenbeck Hall roared with energy as the deficit was now down to two following the 8-0 run. The teams traded layups before Winkel tacked on four straight points at the free throw line to give the Huskies their first lead in the second half with a 73-71 advantage. UMD added free throws of their own to tie the game. The stronghold defense of St. Cloud State came away with a must need stop with 33 seconds left as they now had a chance to win the game. With the final possession, the Huskies went to Griechen in a high-low action where he barely missed a layup. Duluth corralled the rebound as the game went into overtime.

The start of the overtime period saw the teams trade buckets before UMD took a two-point lead from free throws. On the ensuing possession, Griechen worked an iso in the post before Dahl sprung open off an outstanding slot cut. Dahl finished through contact in the paint for the huge and-one as he gave the Huskies a 78-77 lead. After another stop that saw Dahl come away with the rebound, Winkel collapsed the defense and kicked it out to Griechen who splashed a top of the key three which extended the lead to four. Duluth scored on their next possession and then called a timeout as the score was set 81-79 with 2:10 remaining. After multiple offensive rebounds, UMD would get fouled on a rebound and then convert one of two free throws. With only a one-point lead with 1:25 remaining, Winkel came off a dribble handoff action from Hawks and drained a clutch three to push the lead back up to four. St. Cloud State would close out the game at the free throw line as they converted eight of their final 10 attempts as they went on to beat UMD 92-87 in an overtime thriller at Halenbeck Hall. After the Bulldogs shot 62% in the first half with 52 points, the Huskies defense smothered them to 31% from the field for 35 points in the second half and overtime.

Top Huskies

Luke Winkel finished the game with 29 points (7/14), six rebounds, and four assists. He cashed five of his eight threes and went 10/12 at the free throw line. This was his third game on the year with 29+ points.
Wyatt Hawks tallied his sixth double-double of the year with 23 points (8/11) and 12 rebounds. Hawks also dished out a career-high seven assists and came away with a block and steal. This was Hawks' third straight game with a double-double.
Nate Dahl came away with his second double-double of the season with a season-high 19 points and 11 rebounds. This was Dahl's fourth game exceeding double-digit rebounds.

Notables

St. Cloud State is now 60-42 all-time against UMD and snapped their five-game losing streak.
SCSU moved to 8-0 at Halenbeck Hall on the year and it is the first time since 2013-14 season where they started 9-0.
The Huskies led the game in field goal percentage (46.0-45.7), free throws made (27-15), offensive rebounds (10-9), assists (16-13), blocks (2-0), points in the paint (44-38), points off turnovers (10-8), and fast break points (11-7).
Bob Griechen scored 16 points to go with three rebounds and two assists. 14 of Griechen's points came in the second half and overtime. This was his third game scoring 16+ points on the year.
Kynan Philippe tallied four points, three rebounds, and two assists.

Up Next
St. Cloud State will be back in action next Friday as they take on Jamestown at Halenbeck Hall at 7:30 p.m.

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.