By Carl Goenner / Sports Director / @Carl_goennerpxp / Sioux Falls, S.D.

-The St. Cloud State men’s basketball team was beaten by Minnesota Duluth 65-76 in the 2026 NSIC championship game.  The loss snaps St. Cloud’s 18 game win streak that began on January 3, 2026.

St. Cloud’s Luke Winkel and Wyatt Hawks were each selected to the 2026 NSIC All-Tournament Team.  Winkel led the Huskies with 20 points and three assists while Hawks finished with 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Duluth’s Caleb Siwek tallied 34 points and was named the NSIC Tournament’s MVP.  The loss snaps St. Cloud’s 18 game win streak that began on January 3, 2026.

The first half was slow for St. Cloud as Kynan Phillepe found himself in foul trouble early on.

The Bulldogs defense was effective and shut down Wyatt Hawks forcing him to just 2 points in the paint in the first half.  UMD outrebounded SCSU 18-14 in the first half and the Huskies trailed 32-43 at halftime.

The Huskies started strong in the second half and slimmed their deficit down to seven points.

St. Cloud improved their attack down low and scored 16 points in the paint while holding the Bulldogs to just 8.  Wyatt Hawks scored 7 points in the second half, but it wasn’t enough as the Huskies were defeated by the Bulldogs 65-76.

Next up: St. Cloud State will wait to see if they earn an NCAA tournament birth.  They will find out their fate during Sunday’s March Madness Selection Sunday show.  The selection show begins at 10:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 8.

Photo credit: SCSU Athletics.