By Gideon Teuber / Sports Reporter / St. Cloud, Minn.

-The St. Cloud State men’s basketball team defeated the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs 49-47 on Friday evening.  With the win, the Huskies extended their win streak to 11 and remain undefeated at home.  

It was a defensive battle in the first half with both teams finding trouble generating scoring opportunities. Luke Winkel then got hot as he scored the first 7 points for the Huskies. However, size played a big factor in this game which switched the battle down low in the paint for both teams.  Wyatt Hawks and Aeron Steven clashed in the post for multiple possessions and the Huskies found themselves trailing at the half 23-22.

The second half started off slow for St. Cloud as they didn’t get any points on the board until the three minute mark.  However, that all changed when Lee Marks III struck lighting into Halenbeck Hall with a poster dunk to tie the game at 29, causing the crowd to erupt. From there it was back and forth scoring by both the Huskies and the Mustangs. But with 33 seconds left in the game the Huskies found themselves trailing by 4. It was then that St. Cloud’s leading scorer Luke Winkel got the inbound in the corner and sunk a fade away 3, cutting the lead to 1. 

The Huskies then found themselves with their back against the wall down a point with 16 seconds left in the game, and Southwest State with possession. That’s when Anish Ramall secured the deflected inbound pass and got fouled on his layup attempt. Ramall sank both free throws, shifting the momentum and giving the Huskies the lead with 14 seconds left. After a last second missed shot by Mekhi Shaw, St. Cloud State came away with a 49-47 win.

The Huskies will go on to host Sioux Falls on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. in Halenbeck Hall, hoping to continue their strong season.

Photo credit: SCSU Athletics.