UMC MEN’S BASKETBALL COMEBACK FALLS SHORT IN LOSS TO SCSU

The University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagle Men’s Basketball team struggled in the first half, but played a solid second half, but the late comeback came up short in a 77-68 loss to the St. Cloud State Huskies in a Northern Sun Conference game played at Lysaker Gymnasium in Crookston.

FIRST HALF-
UMC’s Blaize Sagna (Jr. London, England) would get off to a hot start as he knocked down two threes, including banking one off the glass, to give UMC an early 6-5 lead. St. Cloud State responded with a 9-0 run to go up 14-6. Later in the half, De’Antray Hughes (Sr. New Orleans, LA) would get a lay-up for the Golden Eagles, but St. Cloud State would answer with an 8-0 run to hold a firm 27-11 lead. Aguek Deng (Jr. Des Moines, IA) and Reid Grant (Jr. Johnston, IA) each hit two-pointers, but St. Cloud State would answer with two more baskets and a free throw to go up 37-17. Isaiah Bundy-Smith (Soph. Rugby, ND) and Deng would get lay-ups, but once again, the Huskies buried another three-pointer, going 6-9 from three-point land in the half. Hughes would get a late lay-up for the Golden Eagles before the halftime buzzer as St. Cloud State held a 42-24 lead. 

SECOND HALF-
After a quick St. Cloud State basket, UMC responded with an 11-2 run as Deng hit a pair of lay-ups, and Grant buried a triple and got a lay-up as well to make the St. Cloud State lead shrink to 46-35. UMC would later get a lay-up from Hughes, another grant three, and Sagna would get a lay-up, and two free throws to bring the St. Cloud State lead down to just six at 50-44 with 11 minutes left in regulation. St. Cloud State got a big three and had a pair of technical foul free throws as Coach Beamish drew a technical foul as the Huskies lead climbed up to 56-44. The two sides would trade baskets and free throws later on as St. Cloud State’s lead grew to 19 points. UMC had a late 14-3 run to cut the St. Cloud State lead down to eight as Sagna made a pair of lay-ups and a three while Deng added a lay-up and hit a three. UMC fouled with about a minute left as the Huskies made one free throw to go up 75-66. Myles Adams had a dunk with half a minute left to cut the game down to a 75-68 St. Cloud State lead, but the Huskies added a pair of free throws that UMC couldn’t answer, and St. Cloud State would get the road win, 77-68. 

UMC drops to 6-16 on the year and 3-13 in the NSIC. UMC will host Bemidji State nex Thursday. St. Cloud State improves to 9-12 overall and 5-10 in the NSIC. 

CLICK HERE for Coach Brian Beamish’s post-game comments