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Better than just "pretty good"
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- After the SCSU men's basketball team defeated the Augustana College Vikings 67-55 Saturday night, a disgruntled Augie fan muttered, "they're a pretty good team, we were lucky just to stick with them."
In a brick-laying, sloppy game, the Huskies managed to retain their reputation as a good team, with their dignity still intact, and get out of Sioux Falls with a win. The Huskies shot a miserable 31 percent in the first half, but the Vikings were even worse at 24 percent. SCSU would rebound in the second to push the percentage up to 38 percent for the game, but Augie remained as cold as the weather outside at 28 percent.
"You can say it was ugly and a beautiful win at the same time. But any win is good for us," junior guard Jason Allen said. "The game was ugly in the first half because we didn't shoot like we normally do. But our defense kept us in the game. Our big men stepped up down low tonight and got to the glass."
SCSU (19-3, 9-2 NCC) led 29-21 at the half, but the Vikings broke loose on a 5-0 run to cut the gap to 29-26 at the beginning of the second. Augie would cut the lead to three again, however, it was all Huskies after that. When senior center Brent Frikken drilled a jumper with 14:34 left in the second, SCSU had built back a double-digit advantage at 39-29 that they had lost at the 6:36 mark in the first half.
St. Cloud built their lead to as many as 16 points when Allen connected on a three-pointer from the left wing with 6:01 left in the second half. Augie would get no closer than 11 points the rest of the way.
Frikken, who received six stitches below his left eye after a collision with Allen late in the second half, said the Huskies came out in the second and dictated the game to their style.
"We just pushed the ball in transition and got open looks," Frikken said. "Our defense was great. As bad as we were shooting we still held them to a low shooting percentage. That's what we pride ourselves in."
SCSU's bench outscored Augie's 33-17 for the game and four key players for the Huskies had a part in the outburst from the pine. Frikken led SCSU with 13 points and his scoring spurt early in the second got the Huskies back their double-digit advantage. Allen added seven key points, sophomore point guard Nate Miller chipped in six-second half points and freshman post Matt Siegle closed the game out with his all-out effort on the glass. He finished with six points and five boards.
The No. 25 Huskies outrebounded the Vikings 51-41. Thanks to so many clanks off the backboard, Jason Kron led the team with a Rodman-like 15 rebounds. He also had a team-high four assists along with 11 points. Junior guard Alex Carlson also produced 12 points and six boards for St. Cloud.
The play of SCSU's bench is an area in which the team has been strong all season.
"It's not just five starters contributing for us, it's a team game," head coach Kevin Schlagel said. "Our bench has been productive all year. We just kind of rotate people until we find someone who's having a good night. It's not unusual. You need to be eight, nine and 10-deep in this league."
"That's what is scary about this team," Frikken said. "Every night someone different can step up."
Justin Van Meeteren led all scorers with 19 points and had a team-high 11 boards for the Vikes. No other Augie player approached more than seven points on the night.
On Thursday night, SCSU experienced an exact opposite of Saturday's game against Minnesota State University, Mankato at Halenbeck Hall. While still playing tight defense, the Huskies shot 56 percent for the game and played with more zeal in the 86-60 victory over the Mavericks than they had previously in last Saturday's loss to the University of South Dakota.
That zeal was especially evident in the second half when Alex Carlson busted loose, and out of a scoring slump. After leading only by six at the half (38-32), the Huskies jumped on the Mavs a minute into the second. Carlson, who finished with 17 points and six assists, scored 11 straight points to begin the half for SCSU, and after that explosion, the Huskies were unstoppable.
Carlson's assertiveness on the offensive end built the lead to 13 at 49-36 with 15:45 left after his last basket (a three-pointer) of the spurt. It was the biggest lead for the Huskies at the time, which would only get bigger, as Mankato took a timeout to regroup after the trey.
"We've been telling Alex that we need him to be more assertive offensively," Schlagel said after the game. "He hasn't necessarily looked to shoot the last couple of games. We had a meeting the other day about that. It's easy when things are going your way to just let things happen. But we need for him to be productive. He's such a big key to what we do."
"I have to help the other guys out," Carlson said. "Jason and Forrest have been carrying the load offensively lately. As a point guard, if I can penetrate and draw their defender to me, that can get them open looks. I have to be aggressive myself, but I still have to help other guys get good looks."
In the last meeting between the two teams on Jan. 25, the Mavs had scored on the final 10 possessions to the end the game. The main culprit of that spree was senior guard Drew Carlson. SCSU's Carlson and Miller played tight man defense on Mankato's leading scorer all night and limited him to six points. As a team, the usually accurate Mavericks shot a lowly 39 percent for the game.
Nick Ellenberger led the Mavs with 12 points and senior forward Jermaine Brown added 10 points and six rebounds.
Kron led SCSU with 20 points and eight rebounds. Witt had 13 points and six rebounds, with Frikken adding 10 points for an added bonus.
The NCC-leading Huskies rebounded from last Saturday's upset to come back with two big wins against teams they should always handle easily. While most of it wasn't that pretty, they made it work. Because after all, they are a "pretty good team."
Around the Rim
-Augustana hasn't won an NCC conference championship since 1989.
-Instead of using a sound system, the Vikings had a band playing in the west corner of the high school-like Elmen Center. At halftime they entertained the crowd with a stirring rendition of the Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There."
-Frikken on his nasty gash: "It makes me look a little tougher."
-SCSU has their next three games at home starting Thursday against North Dakota State. If they should win, it would mark their third-straight 20-win season.
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