Box Score To view post-game video with Head Coach Jeff Oseth visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFc81onGFdo

CROOKSTON, Minn. - The University of Minnesota Crookston men's basketball team struggled to get much of anything going Saturday night as they fell 87-50 to St. Cloud State University at Lysaker Gymnasium in Crookston, Minn. The Golden Eagles hung with the Huskies early, but scoring droughts mid-way through the first half and at the beginning of the second half contributed to the one-sided game for St. Cloud State.

UMC was out-scored 8-0 from 6:36 to 3:55 in the first half, and then 13-0 in the first six minutes of the second frame. The Golden Eagles drop to 4-3 (1-2 NSIC) after picking up a split on the weekend with a win over University of Minnesota Duluth and a loss to St. Cloud State. The Golden Eagles did the opposite last season in their last home meetings against the Huskies and Bulldogs, defeating the then-22nd ranked St. Cloud State squad and falling to UMD. The Huskies would get UMC on this night, however.

The Golden Eagles finished the night shooting 17-of-53 from the field for 32.1 percent, as they looked out of sync for much of the night. They were 4-of-16 from three for 25 percent and 12-of-17 from the charity stripe for 70.6 percent. Minnesota Crookston was led on the night by the sharp shooting of junior guard Tim Lubke (St. Paul, Minn./Sports and Rec Management), who finished with 12 points, including going 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. Ashton Harrell (Sr., G, Houston, Texas/followed up his career-high 34 points from last night against UMD, with 10 points and five boards in 22 minutes of play. UMC's second leading scorer Brandon Burns (Sr., F, Baton Rouge, La./Sports and Rec Management) was held to just four points and one board on the night.

Turnovers would also play a big impact for UMC, as they just had seven assists to 17 turnovers. St. Cloud State would finish with 17 assists and 12 turnovers. Kevin Larson (Jr., G, New Ulm, Minn./Sports and Rec Management) did however have another solid night from his point guard spot, following up seven assists from the UMD game with five tonight.

UMC was out-rebounded by the Huskies 42-34 as SCSU was led by eight boards from James Fort and seven off the bench from Chris Larson.

St. Cloud State was led by four players who scored double figures on the night. Matt Craggs led the way for the Huskies with 16 points and six boards. Former Minnesota Crookston guard Damarius Cruz added 14 points while Scott Stone had 13 off the bench and Fort had 10. The Huskies would hit nine three-pointers led by three from Craggs and three from Cruz. St. Cloud State finished the night shooting 32-of-67 for 47.8 percent and were 9-of-18 for 50 percent from trey.

Minnesota Crookston would hold early advantages early in the first half, leading by four twice in the game, last at the 13:34 mark following a converted three-point play from the charity stripe for Harrell. St. Cloud State would turn things around though, and take a four-point lead of their own with 10:19 remaining after a Fort lay-in.

The Golden Eagles would cut the advantage to two after a Lubke trey with 8:07 remaining but the Huskies would again counter with a jumper from Fort, a free throw from Craggs and a lay-up from Craggs to go ahead seven. SCSU would continue their run, widening the lead to 13 with 3:55 remaining after threes from Cruz and Craggs to make it 35-22 St. Cloud State.

The Golden Eagles would cut the advantage down to 10 after Lubke hit three free throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt by Stone. St. Cloud State would again counter and get up by 14 after two Connor Niehaus free throws with 2:47 remaining. The Huskies would go into the locker room with a 15-point advantage after a Stone lay-in.

Minnesota Crookston's struggles would continue into the second half, as they could not buy a bucket in the early going as St. Cloud State went on 13-0 run in the first six minutes to extend their lead to 28 (57-29) with 14:21 remaining. UMC's Tomas Parker (Jr., F, Pequot Lakes, Minn./Management) would finally end the Golden Eagles scoreless stint with a lay-up at the 13:55 mark, and would convert a free throw to give UMC a three-point play to make it 57-32.

The Golden Eagles continued their struggles though as they would shoot just 7-of-27 for 25.9 percent from the field and 1-of-9 for 11.1 percent from three in the second half. The Huskies would lead by as many as 40 in the game after a Preston McCourt three with 3:55 remaining. UMC would cut down the advantage to 37, and that would be the score SCSU would win by. as the final was 87-50.

UMC did get extensive playing time for their young players Saturday night as Konner Goettsche (Fr., F, Plymouth, Minn./Sports and Rec Management) saw his first action of his career after battling injuries early on in the season. The Robbinsdale Armstrong H.S. product, would finish with two points and two boards in 10 minutes. Austin Dierks (Fr., F, Chokio, Minn./Agricultural Systems Management) also saw the first playing time of his career, finishing with four points and two boards in three minutes. Freshman Alec Koepp (F, Belle Plaine, Minn./Software Engineering) added two points and one board in 10 minutes.

The Golden Eagles will hit the road for the first time this conference season as they play Northern State University and Minnesota State University Moorhead next weekend.

For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at www.goldeneaglesports.com.

Follow the Golden Eagles on Facebook at Golden Eagle Sports and on Twitter at @UMCAthletics.

The University of Minnesota Crookston is an NCAA Division II Institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Golden Eagle Equestrian team is a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA).