Box Score CROOKSTON, Minn.- The University of Minnesota, Crookston men's basketball team was unable to find the basket for the first six minutes of the second half ultimately leading to a 55-47 loss to Minot State University Friday at Lysaker Gymnasium. The Golden Eagles didn't have a point in the second half until Almir Krdzalic (Sr., G, Sioux Falls, S.D.) sank two free throws at the 14:16 mark. UMC's first field goal of the second half came at the 10:33 mark from Krdzalic. UMC falls to 3-5 (0-4 NSIC) with Friday's loss while Minot State improves to 2-5 (1-3 NSIC) with their first conference victory.

The Golden Eagles were led by Krdzalic, who returned after missing the past two games due to a back injury and scored 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field. James Sparkman (R-Jr., F, Ypsilanti, Mich.) added nine points including going 7-of-8 from the charity stripe on the night while Ashton Harrell (Jr., G, Houston, Texas) added seven points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field. Brandon Burns (Jr., F, Baton Rouge, La.), the Golden Eagles' leading scorer this season, who came in averaging 15.9 points on the season, was held by the Beavers to six points and did not score until hitting a three-pointer with 4:21 left in the second half.

UMC finished the game shooting 16-of-45 from the field for 35.6 percent and 5-of-21 for 23.8 percent from behind the three-point line. They were 10-of-14 from the free-throw line. The Golden Eagles finished with 16 turnovers while forcing 14 for the Beavers. They were out-rebounded on the night 35-27. Broderick Schmidt (Sr., F, Marion, S.D.) led UMC on the boards with eight while Sparkman added four.

Minot State finished the contest shooting 16-of-46 from the field for 34.8 percent and 4-of-18 from beyond the arc for 22.2 percent. They were 19-of-26 from the charity stripe which would play a major factor in the very physical game. The Beavers were led on the night by E.J. Williams with 12 points including going 8-of-8 from the free-throw line. Anthony Enriquez added 11 points while Adam Randall chipped in 10. Minot State was led on the boards by Chris East with nine while Josh Johnson added seven. Johnson, the Beavers' leading scorer, was held to four points on the night.

The Beavers went into the break with a 27-23 advantage over the Golden Eagles after Randall hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to round out the first half. UMC was ahead 23-22 with 2:31 left in the first half but an Enriquez lay-up and Randall's trey would send Minot State to the locker room with the lead. Krdzalic led the Golden Eagles in the opening period with eight points while Harrell added seven. Schmidt led UMC on the boards in the opening period with five. Minot State was paced in the opening period by Randall's 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting including two three-pointers. Enriquez added seven points while East led the Beavers on the boards with seven.
 
Minot State out-scored UMC 8-0 in the first six minutes of the second half as the Golden Eagles were unable to find a bucket until the 14:16 mark. In the first 10 minutes of the second period, the Beavers would out-score the Golden Eagles 13-3 making it 40-28 at the 9:32 mark.

The Golden Eagles attempted to make a late second-half comeback cutting what was a 14-point Minot State lead at the 4:34 mark to eight (55-47) with 16 seconds left led by converted three-pointers by Burns and sophomore guard Tim Lubke (St. Paul, Minn.). However, the Beavers were able to hang on for the victory.

The Golden Eagles will look to get back on a winning track tomorrow as they host University of Mary at 6 p.m. at Lysaker Gymnasium.

For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics Web site 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).