Box Score Here is the link to our post-game interview with Head Coach Mike Roysland http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTBwASHFt2E

CROOKSTON, Minn. - In the season opener at Lysaker Gymnasium, the University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC) Golden Eagle women's basketball team defeated the Valley City State University (VCSU) Vikings 63-48. Playing in front of a strong crowd of supporters who came to watch the season opener, the Golden Eagles gave the fans plenty to cheer about with an exciting offensive attack.

The Golden Eagles outshot VCSU making 43 percent of their shots while VCSU made only 31 percent. Unlike their exhibition games, UMC was able to win the battle on the boards 38-36 without having a significant size advantage.

In the first half, the Golden Eagles were led by the play of All-NSIC Freshman Team member Katrina Moenkedick (So., F, Perham, Minn./Early Childhood Education). She scored 13 points in the first half highlighted by a 7-of-8 performance from the charity stripe. Free throws were the key to the first half with the Golden Eagles enjoying a 10-2 advantage in that department. This guided the Golden Eagles to a 30-19 first half lead.

VCSU substitute Megan Trautman provided some solid play for the Vikings in the first half scoring five points and grabbing three rebounds in only six minutes of play. Stephanie Pedersen brought defensive intensity with a block and two steals in the first half before getting into foul trouble.

Despite struggling to find her stroke in the first half, Alexa Thielman (So., G, Buffalo, Minn./Health Science) came out firing in the second half hitting three shots from beyond the arc. Thielman led the Golden Eagles in rebounding with nine while Moenkedick led the team in scoring with 20 points. The discipline of freshman point guard Selina Barnes (Fr., G, Colorado Springs, Colo./Health Science) is an encouraging sign for the Golden Eagles. She only had one turnover while providing three assists for the Golden Eagles.

VCSU looked to the interior presence of Kelsey Hunter and Brittany Lehner to provide most of their scoring with 13 and 12 points respectively. As a team, the Vikings came up with an impressive 12 steals, but it was not enough to get them a W.

The Golden Eagles got off to a hot start, outscoring VCSU 20-4 in the first ten minutes of the first half. During this stretch, Barnes scored her first collegiate points on a driving layup. The run was highlighted by the dominant play of Moenkedick. She scored 11 of the 20 points without missing a shot.

VCSU answered back with an 8-0 stretch of its own after moving into a zone and exposing an advantage inside the paint.

Going into the half, the score was 30-19 in favor of the Golden Eagles.

UMC started the second half much in the same way they started the first half with Thielman hitting a three on the Golden Eagles first possession. In a game highlighted by runs, this sparked an 11-4 run for UMC bringing the score to 41-23.

After extending their lead to a game-high 18 points, the Golden Eagles instantly let VCSU back into the game reducing the Golden Eagle lead to five with seven and a half minutes left. This 13-0 stretch was aided by four UMC turnovers and a technical foul by Ebony Livingston (Jr., F, Minneapolis, Minn./Sports and Rec Management)

Some back and forth play kept the end interesting before the Golden Eagles made three three-pointers in the last three minutes of play to win with a final score of 63-48.

The Golden Eagles will now turn their attention to William Penn University. William Penn University comes to Crookston, Minn. from Oskaloosa, Iowa this Fri., Nov. 15. The game will be part of a triple header at Lysaker Gymnasium as the Golden Eagles also have a volleyball game at 6 p.m. against Winona State University as they continue to fight for the NSIC Tournament. The men's basketball team will round out the day against Northland College at 8 p.m.

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).