Men's Basketball
Men's Basketball
NSIC Basketball: SCSU 75, Upper Iowa 73
Huskies Win Tough One Over Upper Iowa
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Fayette, Iowa -- The St. Cloud State men's basketball team escaped with a 75-73 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference win over Upper Iowa Saturday night at Dorman Gymnasium and in the process gained two opening weekend victories in the conference.
Sophomore forward Andrew Bernstetter (St. Joseph) hit a three-point basket with :30 left in the game to give SCSU a 74-71 lead. Upper Iowa's Dan Bestal hit two free throws with 14 seconds left to close to 74-73. Bernstetter added a free throw with seven seconds left to seal the win for the Huskies
St. Cloud State sophomore guard Taylor Witt (Morris) led all players with 19 points and made four three-point baskets to lead the Huskies. Four of the Huskies starters scored in double figures in the game. Sophomore forward Andrew Bernstetter (St. Joseph) added 18 points and seven rebounds. Junior center Matt Schneck (Whitefish Bay, WI) added 14 points and sophomore guard Josh Ortmann (Buffalo) had ten points. The Huskies shot 50 percent from three-point range and had a 33-27 rebounding edge.
Upper Iowa also had four players score in double figures. Matt Lesan led the Peacocks with 16 points. Nick Kramer dropped in 12 points and had a team high five rebounds. A.J. Adkins and Mark Lafrenz each had ten points. The Peacocks shot 54.5 percent from three point range and 54 percent from the field
The game featured 13 lead changes, nine ties, and gritty play by both squads. Back to back three-point baskets by the Huskies backcourt of Taylor Witt and Josh Ortmann gave the Huskies an eight point lead, their largest of the first half with 5:35 remaining. A 14-5 run by Upper Iowa that included ten points from Mark Lafrenz gave the Peacocks a 37-36 half time lead.
In the second half, the Peacocks held their largest lead of the game, 61-54 lead with 6:44 remaining . Three minutes later Andrew Bernstetter nailed a three-point basket that tied the game at 64-64.Two Matt Lesan free throws gave Upper Iowa a 69-68 lead with 1:43 left. A layup by Lesan tied the game for the ninth time, 71-71 with :53 seconds left. From there Bernstetter hit his fifth three of the night and then cashed in with a free throw with :07 seconds left in the game. St. Cloud State is 5-2 overall and 2-0 in the NSIC. Upper Iowa dropped to 1-6 and 0-2 in the NSIC.
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