St. Cloud State
25-6,20-2NSIC
Minnesota Duluth
21-11,13-9NSIC
No. 19 Huskies Fall 76-65 to Minnesota Duluth in NSIC Championship
3/4/2026 2:13:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SCSU loses first game of 2026
Sioux Falls, S.D. – No. 19 St. Cloud State Men's Basketball (25-6, 20-2 NSIC) were defeated 76-65 to the six-seeded Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs Tuesday evening in the NSIC Championship game. The loss snapped the Huskies 18-game win streak and is their first loss of 2026.
Through the first eight minutes of the game, St. Cloud State had a slow offensive start trailing 13-6. A quick layup by Luke Winkel and then steal and dunk by Azayah Washington on the fast break cut the deficit down to a single possession. The teams stayed interlocked over the next few minutes, but UMD rattled off a 7-0 which forced an SCSU timeout with 4:42 to play. Out of the timeout, Caleb Siwek of Duluth would find his three-point stroke as he made all four of his three-point attempts in the final 3:25 of the half. The Huskies ultimately went into halftime trailing 43-32. The Bulldogs shot 6/10 from three with Siwek tallying five of those makes. Winkel produced 12 first half points to lead the Huskies.
Out of the break, St. Cloud State quickly tallied a 6-0 run with Lee Marks III finishing a right-handed hook shot to force a UMD timeout as the deficit was cut down to five points two-minutes into the half. The Bulldogs would slowly rebuild their lead back up to double digits as they held the Huskies to a five-minute field goal drought. SCSU stayed within striking distance over the next few minutes before producing an 8-0 with Winkel and Anish Ramlall knocking down back-to-back threes. Ramlall's three forced a UMD timeout as the deficit was now down to four with 8:48 remaining. That would be as close as the Huskies would get the rest of the way. St. Cloud State continued to battle, but the Bulldogs came away with timely makes and went 11/14 at the free throw line in the final two minutes. The Huskies would ultimately fall 76-65.
Top Huskies
- Luke Winkel led the Huskies in scoring with 20 points to go with four threes, three assists, two rebounds, and a steal. This was his 14th game scoring 20+ points this season. Winkel would be named to the NSIC All-Tournament Team.
- Wyatt Hawks produced 12 points, seven rebounds, three blocks, and a steal. This was Hawks' 12th game with 3+ blocks. He was also named to the NSIC All-Tournament Team.
- Anish Ramlall tallied 14 points on an efficient 5/7 shooting. Ramlall added four rebounds, two assists, and a steal. This was his ninth game scoring 14+ points.
Notables
- St. Cloud State is now 60-43 all-time against Minnesota Duluth.
- SCSU had their 18-game win streak snapped which was the longest streak since 1985-86 where they won 19 games in a row.
- The Huskies led the game in offensive rebounds (8-7), assists (8-6), blocks (5-3), steals (7-6), points in the paint (32-20), points off turnovers (12-9), second chance points (9-3), and fast break points (11-8)
- Lee Marks III was the final Husky to score in double figures as he scored 10 points on 4/7 shooting. Marks III added five rebounds and a steal.
- Azayah Washington totaled five points, two rebounds, two assists, and a block and steal.
- Nate Dahl recorded four points, four rebounds, and an assist and steal.
- Kynan Philippe grabbed five rebounds.
Up Next
The Huskies will await their fate on Selection Sunday at 10:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 8 to determine if they will play in the NCAA Tournament. SCSU was ranked No. 5 in the last Central Region Ranking with the newest ranking releasing tomorrow. The top eight teams in the region make the Tournament.
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.
