St. Cloud State
18-5,15-2NSIC
Southwest Minnesota State
14-8,12-5NSIC
Clutch Play Props Huskies to Massive 49-47 Win Over Southwest Minnesota State
2/6/2026 1:07:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SCSU picks up 11th straight win
St. Cloud, MN – St. Cloud State Men's Basketball (18-5, 15-2 NSIC) stayed unbeaten at Halenbeck Hall with a 49-47 win over Southwest Minnesota State Thursday evening. SCSU came up with a multitude of clutch plays down the stretch to win their 11th straight win.
In the battle between two of the top teams in the NSIC, St. Cloud State burst out with a 9-2 run after Lee Marks III tipped back a layup for an and-one. Luke Winkel would score the first seven points of the game for the Huskies. After a jumper by Wyatt Hawks, SCSU went the next five minutes without a score, but still led 11-8 in part to stifling defense. The Huskies pushed the lead up to seven with back-to-back layups as the Mustangs were held scoreless for over four minutes. Out of a timeout, SMSU rattled off a 7-0 run to interlock the teams at 15. Both teams played sound defense in the first half as each team shot 35.7% from the field. SMSU held a narrow 23-22 lead at halftime after a layup with 16 seconds remaining.
The battle between the top two defenses in the NSIC continued into the second half as game stayed within a single possession for the first six minutes. A layup by the Mustangs with 11:53 pushed their lead up to four. With 4:39 remaining, a jumper by Azayah Washington tied the game at 40. After the Huskies forced a stop, Winkel found Hawks inside who finished the layup to give the Huskies their first lead of the second half at 42-40. With 2:09 left in the game, Jacob Braaten knocked down a big three for the Mustangs to break the tie. After knocking in a free throw and getting a much-needed defensive stop, the Huskies would turn the ball over and then foul Braaten with 33 seconds to go. He would make both free throw to push their lead to four. With time ticking away, Washington would have a three-pointer blocked out of bounds with 23 seconds to go. Winklel would inbound on the baseline where he found Hawks near the three-point line in the corner. Winkel curled off a screen from Hawks and drilled a crucial three to cut the deficit down to one with 21 seconds remaining. Out of a timeout, SMSU would inbound the ball to the baseline corner where Aeron Stevens would be swarmed by Hawks and Marks III for a trap. Hawks would poke the ball away as Anish Ramlall picked up the ball right underneath the SCSU basket. Ramlall would go up for the layup, but would fouled with 16 seconds left. The junior guard would go to the line and calmly knocked in both free throws as the Huskies retook the lead. SMSU did not call a timeout as they opted to play on. Mekhi Shaw would drive in and break the paint before finding Stevens underneath who would get fouled and sent to the line with 9.3 seconds left. On rally towel night at Halenbeck Hall, the crowd would roar to life before Stevens missed the first free throw. Needing the free throw to tie, Stevens would again miss as Hawks corralled his 15th rebound of the night. A jumpball would occur, but SCSU held possession. With five seconds left, the Huskies would inbound to Hawks who would get fouled. The White Bear Lake native split the two free throws to give St. Cloud State a 49-47 lead. Again not opting for a timeout, SMSU needed to go the full length of the court. Gathering a head of steam, Shaw dribble up the right side of the court being guarded by Winkel. At the slot, he would step back for three and the win. His shot came up short off the rim as the buzzer sounded as St. Cloud State came away with a thrilling 49-47 win over Southwest Minnesota State.
Top Huskies
- Wyatt Hawks neared a double-double with eight points and 15 rebounds to go with two assists and five stocks. Hawks swatted three shots for the third time this season and tied his career-high in rebounds with 15.
- Azayah Washington scored 11 points off the bench. He shot 5/9 from the field and recorded two rebounds and a steal. This was Washington's fifth game scoring in double figures.
- Lee Marks III tallied six points and eight rebounds and was an instrumental part of the Huskies defense. This was his fifth overall game and third straight with 8+ rebounds this season
Notables
- St. Cloud State is now 41-29 all-time against Southwest Minnesota State and snapped their seven game losing streak.
- The Huskies led the game in field goal percentage (34.6-34.0), three-pointers made (4-3), free throws made (9-8), rebounds (42-31), offensive rebounds (14-5), second chance points (11-4), and fast break points (5-0).
- SCSU won their 11th straight game which is the longest streak since 2002-03 where they won 13 in a row. The Huskies also moved to 11-0 at Halenbeck Hall which is the longest unbeaten home streak since 2007-08 where they started 11-0.
- Anish Ramlall totaled nine points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals. He went 4/4 at the free throw line.
- Luke Winkel led the Huskies in scoring with 12 points and also registered four rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
- Izaac Neal grabbed four rebounds and notched a steal.
Up Next
St. Cloud State will be back in action on Saturday as they host Sioux Falls at 4:00 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.
