By Nathan Daggett / sports@kvsc.org / Photo by SCSU Athletics

01/02/21 – St. Cloud State 84 – Upper Iowa 107

The St. Cloud State Men’s Basketball Team opened the 2020-21 season in Fayette, Iowa against Upper Iowa on Saturday afternoon.

The Huskies were able to hold their own in the first half, thanks to strong offensive play.  SCSU shot 59% from the field and connected on 6 three-pointers in the opening half.  SCSU trailed 50-41.

In the second half, the Huskies didn’t have the same offensive success as they dropped down to 43% from the field and made only four shots from outside the arc. 

The Huskies also had 20 turnovers which resulted in 24 points off turnovers and helped extend Upper Iowa’s lead in the second half. 

St. Cloud State dropped their season opener 107-84.

Key returners, Caleb Donaldson, Anthony Roberts and Illya Tyrtyshnik all scored in double figures.  Freshman Matthew Willert scored a team and game-leading 21 points in 16 minutes of play.

01/02/21 – St. Cloud State 106 – Upper Iowa 110

This season, the NSIC announced that teams will be playing the same team back-to-back, to limit potential exposure of COVID-19.

St. Cloud State once again showed their strong offensive play, especially in the second half.  The Huskies trailed however going into halftime, 39-50.

In the second half, SCSU shot 55% from the field and went 5-10 on their 3-point attempts.  They also got to the free throw line 19 times, converting 13.

The Huskies outscored Upper Iowa 56-45 to close the gap.  Caleb Donaldson scored the game-tying basket with one second to force overtime.

In overtime, the Huskies would never gain the lead and would fall for their second loss. 

Anthony Roberts scored 21 points, a career-high 16 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal.  Matthew Willert put together another impressive game, scoring 20 points while going 3-6 from behind the arc.

St. Cloud State will travel to North Dakota to face U-Mary on Friday and Saturday.