Mankato, Minn. – The St. Cloud State men’s basketball team earned a trip to the 2010 NCAA Central Regional Championship by virtue of an 82-71 victory over Minnesota State Sunday evening in front of 1,986 fans in the Taylor Center on the campus of Minnesota State University.

The Huskies (27-5) entered the tournament as the #4 seed, while the Mavericks (25-5) were the #1 seed.  St. Cloud State now advances to the regional final Tuesday evening against third-seeded Augustana at 7 p.m.

“It is hard to believe that the season is over,” said head coach Matt Margenthaler.  “If anyone in this town, anyone in this community thinks this team is disappointing they are wrong.  There are no excuses; our guys had a phenomenal year. I am proud of this team.”

The Mavericks raced to an early 10-4 run before the Huskies answered by scoring eight of the next 10 points to knot the game at 12 with 12 minutes remaining.

Both teams traded baskets until St. Cloud State used a jumper and a pair of three’s to open an eight-point lead at 26-18.

The Huskies maintained an eight-point lead for much of the first half before senior guard Jesse Clark scored a lay-up as time expired to cut the Husky lead to 37-31 at the break.

Both teams opened the second half trading baskets before the Mavericks used a mini-run to knot the game at 43 on a lay-up from junior Joe Drapcho with 15:45 remaining.

The Huskies answered with an 11-1 run to open a 10-point lead at 54-44 with 11:40 remaining – a lead it would ultimately not relinquish.

Minnesota State clawed back to within four at 58-54 with 9:41 remaining before the Huskies answered with a 6-2 run thanks to back-to-back three-pointers from Josh Ohrtman, which pushed the lead back to 64-56 at the 7:47 media timeout.

The Mavericks chipped away at the lead a couple of times late, getting it down three at 71-68 with three minutes and seven seconds remaining.  The Huskies responded with a 13-0 run, a spurt which included six free throws to ice the game.

Minnesota State was led in scoring by senior guard Jermain Davisand Drapcho, each of which poured in 14 points.  Drapcho’s scoring total was his highest output in his last 14 games.  Junior guard  Jefferson Mason and Clark each had 12 while senior center Travis Nelson scored 10. 

The Huskies were led in scoring by Matt Schneck who finished with game-high 21 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.  Josh Ohrtmann added 16 points connecting on 6-of-12 opportunities from the floor, including 4-of-5 from beyond the three-point line.