Crookston, Minn.—St. Cloud State used a big second half to spoil Minnesota Crookston's senior day on Saturday night, defeating the Golden Eagles, 89-77.
 
Minnesota Crookston wraps-up the regular season at 11-17 (7-15 NSIC). Minnesota Crookston will have their best seed in NSIC history into the first round this Wednesday, where they will travel to Winona, to take on the third seed in the south, Winona State.
 
SCSU would jump out to a quick start, scoring on two straight possessions, to take a 5-0 lead. Playing in his final home game of his outstanding career, Harrison Cleary (Sr., G, Oak Creek, Wis.) scored five-straight points to get the Golden Eagles within two.
 
Minnesota Crookston would cut the lead to two after another senior, Malcolm Cohen (R-Sr., G/F, Detroit, Mich.) buried a three from the top of key.
 
The Huskies would continue to show their muscles offensively, having an answer for everything the Golden Eagles had for them.
 
Quintin Winterfeldt (Fr., G, Waupun, Wis.) had an old-fashioned 3-point play to cut the Husky lead to just five.
 
Cohen would bury back-to-back three's from each corner, to cut the SCSU lead to just two, at 43-41.
 
Coming out of the second half, St. Cloud State would continue to extend their lead, stretching it out to as big as 21 at one point. Minnesota Crookston would get as close as twelve, following a Winterfeldt jumper, but the Huskies would be able to close out Minnesota Crookston.
 
Minnesota Crookston was led by Cleary and Cohen, who each scored 24 in their final home game. Winterfeldt also had a nice game, scoring 10 points for the first time in his Golden Eagles career. Javier Nicolau (Sr., C, Castellon, Spain) scored four points in his final home game of his career. As a team, Minnesota Crookston shot 48.1 percent from the field and 50 percent from behind the arc.
 
SCSU had 14 second chance points, compared to just five for the Golden Eagles.
 
It's playoff time for the Golden Eagles, as they will take on Winona State, in a rematch of last season's NSIC Quarterfinals game. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m., in Winona, Minn.