Fighting Back: Lights throttle Alberta-Augustana

The first night of the Duck Inn Corporation Classic didn't go as planned for the Montana State University-Northern men's basketball team. But the Lights showed their resilience in a big way on night two.

Monday night in the Armory Gymnasium, the Lights closed out their 2018 home schedule with a 112-58 thrashing of Alberta-Augustana, in what was a complete team victory, and one the Lights needed according to head coach Shawn Huse.

"Our guys bounced back really well, after a tough one last night," Huse said. "Really, after as tough past three games. When you have a skid like we had the last three games, losing some really tough one's like that, you do start to worry about their confidence, their mentality. So, tonight was a really encouraging step forward for our guys. They played really well, they played together, as a team, and it was a good one, and I'm proud of them for bouncing back the way they did."

Northern wasted little time bouncing back from Sunday's loss to Dickinson State. Augustana hung in for the first five minuets of the game, leading by as many as six points. From there however, Northern steam rolled the Vikings.

Behind the dominant inside play of Cedric Crutchfield, and scores on back-to-back steals from Mascio McCadney and Caulin Bakalarski, the Lights ripped off a 14-0 run to take the lead. Later, MSU-N got 3-pointers from Bakalarski and Justin Dunsmore to cap a 12-0 run that put them ahead 33-16 with a full eight minutes left in the first half.

And Northern kept on coming. McCadney and Adam Huse each buried threes, and Kavon Bey scored in the paint to cap a half-ending with a 11-0 spurt, a stretch that gave the Lights a 60-29 lead at the break. And, they never looked back from there.

Northern shot 59 percent from the field and had all 10 players reach the box score, while going 10-of-26 from beyond the arc, and out-rebounding the Vikings 45-25.

"Augustana has one of the better teams they've had in a long time," Huse said. "So what we were able to do tonight was by no means easy. But it does show that our guys came back tonight determined, focused and ready to go. I thought we shared the ball really well, we took care of the ball, got after it on defense, and all 10 guys were locked in. Everybody stepped up and did their part when they got their opportunity. So that was really encouraging. Overall, it was a very nice team win."

Indeed, every Lights team member on the roster got into the act against the Vikings, with Crutchfield and McCadney leading the charge, scoring 19 points apiece. Bey chipped in with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Dunsmore added 13 points Adam Huse scored 11.

The win pushed the Lights' record to 7-4 on the season. Now, MSU-N will have three games left before the start of Frontier Conference play. The Lights will play Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at the Phoenix Classic, all against quality NAIA opponents.

"Our main goal moving forward is just to keep getting better," Huse said. "To just keep making strides. That's what these next three games will be about for us."

Lights 112, Augustana 58

AA - Elijah Schmulund 1-5 4-5 6, Tyler Weenink 3-4 0-0 6, Mason Hunter 4-9 0-1 11, Nathan Bowie 4-10 0-0 11, Keaton Taylor 1-3 0-0 2, Jaron Lauber 1-2 0-0 2, Austin Brulotte 4-13 0-0 10, Kellan Morris 1-5 0-0 2, Nicholas Harder 3-5 0-2 8. Totals: 22-60 6-13.

MSU-N - Justin Dunsmore 5-11 2-2 13, Cedric Crutchfield 8-10 3-4 19, Adam Huse 4-10 0-0 11, Mascio McCadney 7-9 3-4 19, Devin Bray 3-4 0-0 7, Kamari Burnside 2-4 0-0 4, Caulin Bakalarski 3-6 0-0 7, Kavon Bey 7-12 2-2 16, James Fry 2-3 2-2 8, Joe Fons 4-7 0-0 8. Totals: 45-76 12-14.

Halftime: Northern 60-29. 3-pointers: AA 8-21 (Bowie 3, Brulotte 2, Mason 3), MSU-N 10-26 (Dunsmore 1, Huse 3, McCadney 2, Bray 1, Bakalarski 1, Fry 2). Rebounds: AA 25 (Weenink 5), MSU-N 45 (Crtuchfield 9). Fouls: AA 12, MSU-N 10. Fouled out: None.