By: Jake Bedell / KVSC Sports Director / @Jake_Bedell91

St. Cloud State took some time to get to there game in the first round against Northern State. Concordia-St Paul, on the other hand, went on a 16-0 run in their first game against Bemidji State. The two teams seemed poised to play a chess match to see who would advance. The game on the court, did not disappoint.

SCSU came out firing on all cylinders, lighting up a 9-0 run comprising of 3 buckets from beyond the arc. From then on, the two teams went on a tight 14-14 run, and the Huskies led by nine after one. In the second quarter, SCSU put the foot down, outscoring the Golden Bears by a score of 17-6. The last 3 Husky points, though, were the most painful of them all for Concordia-St. Paul. Fifth Year Guard Tori Wortz tossed an off balance, half court, three ball attempt toward the net. Joined by the breath in the arena, the basketball hung in the balance. Then, it banked off the center backboard and into the net, for a momentum sucking buzzer beater from which, the Golden Bears would never recover.

Although CSP would respond well in the third quarter, holding SCSU to just 1 point more than they could score, there efforts were not enough. SCSU went on to put up another 18 points in the fourth quarter for a win totaling 78-49. Concordia-St. Paul’s All Conference Athletes came to play, as Sophomore Forward Sydney Zgutowicz racked up 15 points and in 4 rebounds in 38 minutes. Joined by Junior Guard Mehgan DuBois, the two combined for 30pts, shooting 7/10 from the Free Throw Line, and 3 for 9 from out high.

For St. Cloud State, the offense came from everywhere. The bench scored 17 points, including a high octane three-pointer from Sophomore Guard Elizabeth Wortz. The Huskies put up 30 points in the paint, had four players in the double digits, and fifth year Forward Nikki Kilboten led the way with a strong bounce back performance netting 18 points. Up next for SCSU, they’ll take on the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs in the final for the third straight year. Each team has one once, with Duluth winning in 2021, and St. Cloud State winning in 2020. That game from the Sanford Pentagon can be heard on 88.1FM, KVSC with pregame starting at 6:45.