The St. Cloud State Men’s Basketball team had been on a 7 game losing streak in games against arch rival Minnesota State Mankato going into their nonconference tilt on Saturday.

They responded with authority, closing out the Mavericks with a 72-64 victory, outscoring their foes 41-32 in the final period. Sean Smith led the Huskies with 15 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and a steal. Jon Averkamp dominated Mankato on the low block, scoring a game-high 19 points on 8-13 shooting. The Huskies finally found success from their second unit, with the bench scoring a season-high 23 points, paced by Trevon Marshall’s 13.

The Mavericks bench was held to a season-low 8 points, a full 13 points off their previous low mark. Kevin Krieger notched a double-double with 17 points and 10 boards, while Charlie Brown poured in 16 on 5-7 shooting.

Both teams moved to 3-2 on the season. SCSU begins NSIC play this weekend on the road Friday at Minnesota-Crookston and Saturday at Bemidji State. The games are scheduled to tip at 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. respectively on the KVSC Sports Stream.