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Men take two on the road
Sweep clinches number four slot and home game in NCC tournament
The SCSU men's basketball team has had its ups and downs all year long.
One moment they're running on all cylinders like a finely-tuned Dodge Viper. The next thing you know, they look about as well put together as a rusted-out Geo Prism. This weekend, however, they were definitely Viper-like in sweeping South Dakota and Morningside to clinch the No. 4 seed, and a first round home game in the Wells Fargo NCC tournament.
The men will play South Dakota once again on Tuesday in the tournament.
Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Halenbeck. The winner of that game gets to play conference leader South Dakota State on Friday at Brookings. The Huskies have already beaten South Dakota twice this season, with the most recent victory coming on Saturday. It will mark the second consecutive year the Huskies have played USD three times. SCSU has beaten USD four consecutive times going into Tuesday's game.
In a must-win situation against the Coyotes on Saturday, SCSU pulled out an impressive 73-60 win. SCSU came out of the gates quickly and took a 17-5 lead. The Coyotes wouldn't quit on their home floor, though, and cut the lead at halftime to 31-30.
After their late push in the first, South Dakota came out strong in the second half as well. With a Josh Mueller jumper at 18:09 left, the Coyotes held a 35-33 lead. But, the Huskies countered with a 17-2 run midway through the second half to take a 52-39 lead with 12:32 remaining. USD came right back with a 15-6 run of their own to close to within four at 58-54 with 6:22 left in the game.
At this juncture, senior forward Rado Rancik stepped to the forefront.
Rancik scored nine of his 15 points in the last 5:49. He hit a hook shot, blocked a Jimmie Foster drive, and finished a three-point play at the 5:07 mark to help the Huskies down the stretch. Along with his 15 points, Rancik added 11 boards.
SCSU (20-6, 12-6 NCC) hit nine of 11 free throws down the stretch to ice the game. SCSU shot 45 percent for the game, compared to South Dakota's 33.8 percent from the field. The Huskies' defense held the Coyotes (19-7, 11-7 NCC) fast backcourt of Mueller and senior Paul Marshall to 33 percent shooting. Those two had been averaging an astounding 47 percent from the floor going into the game. The battle of the boards was also in favor of SCSU, who outrebounded USD, 45-34.
The Huskies were again led by the steady Jason Kron. The junior forward tallied 17 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. It was his sixth double-double of the season. Senior guard Jonny Reese added 17 to help pace St. Cloud. The Coyotes were led by Marshall who scored 18. Sophomore post Steve Anderson chipped in with 14 points and 12 boards.
On Friday, the hungry Huskies dominated the Morningside Mustangs, 98-68. Morningside played its final conference games this weekend. This was the last time SCSU got to feast on the Stangs' inferiority.
The Mustangs did jump out to an early lead, but SCSU began to take control after a Nate Miller three-point play that gave his team a 33-30 advantage. The Huskies went into the intermission with a 45-34 lead, and didn't relinquish their supremacy in the second.
Forrest Witt scored 19 points to lead the Huskies, all of which came in the first half. He was seven of 14 for the game, and hit five treys. Four other players scored in double figures for SCSU. Sophomore Matt Britton led the Mustangs with 25.
Saturday's win against the Coyotes was huge because it brought the Huskies back to Halenbeck, where they have gone 12-2 this season. With the home-court advantage, a trip to Brookings appears to be in the cards.
Even after beating an opponent so many times in a row like the Huskies have done to the Coyotes, you can't underestimate USD. Eventually in basketball, the spoiled can figure out the victor.
Tickets will be on sale today and Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Athletic Ticket Office in the NHC. Tickets will also be available beginning at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Halenbeck Hall ticket office. Ticket prices are $10/adults and $5/youth, including SCSU students.
Andy Rennecke can be reached at: [email protected]
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