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Flu does not prevent home sweep
By Derek Sullivan
 Media Credit: Adam Masloski Matt Siegle squeezes a pass between defenders Andy Moeller (left) and Jared DeJong during the first half of the Huskies victory. SCSU went to 3-1 in conference play with the win.
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On a weekend when SCSU refused to make excuses, the Huskies beat Augustana 80-65 and upset the No. 2 ranked SDSU Jackrabbits 77-70 re-entering the North Central Conference race.
Friday night, the Huskies were short-handed as center Joe Evert sat out with the flu. SCSU was forced to go with three guards, as 6-foot-1 senior Jason Allen was put in the starting lineup.
The first half was a struggle for either team to grab a large lead and the half had nine lead changes and 11 ties.
Augustana managed to hold the lead for the last few minutes of the first half. A three-point shot by Viking first-year Joey Ryan gave Augustana a 21-19 lead with 7:37 left.
SCSU would trail until Nate Miller's fade-away with 2:45 left, gave the Huskies a 29-28 lead.
Two three-pointers by Viking senior Rod Henry looked to give Augustana a halftime advantage.
Steve Trull had other ideas. The junior from Crystal Lakes, Ill., hit a jumper right before the buzzer to tie the score at 34-34.
In the first half, Alex Carlson hit two big milestones. The senior guard achieved 1,000 points and his six assists ran that total to 501.
"It is nice to reach those milestones," Carlson said. "But, I have to give credit to my teammates. None of those milestones would be reached without them."
Trull led the Huskies in the first half with 11 points. Carlson chipped in six points and four rebounds.
SCSU got off to a rough start after halftime as the Vikings scored the first five points, putting Augustana up 39-34.
The Huskies then picked up the defense, especially on Augustana stars Justin VanMeeteren and Jon Wagner.
"The whole team knew they were explosive," said head coach Kevin Schlagel. "Everyone was aware of who they were."
Coach Schlagel added that many players stepped up defensively, including Trull.
"With Joe being sick, we had to move Alex down to the three spot. Steve did a great job," Schlagel said. "The whole team did a good job of rotating (on defense)."
With the defense locking down, SCSU gradually started hitting shots. Led by newcomer Brad Evans, the Huskies quickly ran out to a 55-45 lead with 9:47 left in the game.
Evans, who sat out the last year and a half because of a transfer, got hot. The junior from Appleton, Wis. had a perfect second half. Evans hit all seven of his shots and all three of his three-point attempts, finishing the half with 17 points and the game with 23 points.
"I got a lot of open shots," Evans said. "If I get open shots, I am supposed to make them."
Augustana could get no closer than six points the rest of the way. The Vikings trailed 67-61 with 3:08 left.
After that, the Huskies closed with a 13-4 run. The 80-65 win moved the Huskies to 11-4 overall and 2-1 in conference.
After starting the season 17-0, the visiting Jackrabbits were on a two game losing streak. SCSU let them know the streak would not end at Halenbeck Hall Saturday night.
Not only was it a huge game in the race for the conference championship, but it was also the final trip to Halenbeck for the soon-to-be Division I Jackrabbits.
However, SDSU found a Husky team that was a little under the weather.
"We have had five kids since Wednesday that have had the flu, and all of them played tonight," Schlagel said.
That included center Joe Evert, who missed Friday night's game. Evert, still ill, played 17 minutes and contributed four points and seven rebounds.
The game went back and forth throughout the early minutes.
There were seven lead changes before SDSU took the first half lead for good, 24-22, with 8:20 left.
After the Jackrabbits grabbed the lead, Carlson would score seven points before intermission. Carlson's points, along with four from Miller, kept SCSU in the game. The Jackrabbits led the Huskies 36-33 at the half.
Miller led the Huskies with 12 points in the first half, while Brad Evans and Carlson each chipped with seven points.
SCSU was lucky to be in the game. They were out-rebounded 26-18 in the first half. Coach Schlagel then asked his guards to attack the rim and help out, including Jason Allen.
"Coach told us (guards) we have to rebound against (SDSU)," Allen said. "We knew we could help out. I believe our guards rebound as good as anyone."
In the second half, SCSU were only out-rebounded 22-20. Carlson and Miller chipped in with seven and six boards respectively. Miller's play got notice from his backcourt mate.
"Pound for pound he is one of the toughest guys you are going to find," Carlson said. "Knowing Nate and his mental toughness, he came out and gave it everything in the second half."
The Huskies grabbed the lead for good, 59-58, with 6:42 left. The lead increased to a high of eight points, 76-68, after two Trull free throws, with only 16 seconds left.
Free throws were a major reason for the SCSU victory. Both teams attempted 31 free throws. SCSU made 24 free throws, while the Jackrabbits only made 16. Those eight misses cost the Jackrabbits a potential one-point victory.
"It is big when you can get points at the free throw line," Carlson said. "We got good shooters, who went to line and made free throws."
The victory moves the Huskies to 3-1 in the NCC, one game behind league-leader North Dakota State.
The Huskies will travel to the University of Nebraska-Omaha and to the University of South Dakota for conference showdowns this weekend.
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