Minnesota Crookston at Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras
Fri., Nov. 13 - 2 p.m. (C.T.), Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico
Radio: 1260 KROX AM/105.7 FM (Chris Fee, Play by Play)
Online: www.kroxam.com

Minnesota Crookston at Puerto Rico-Bayamon
Sat., Nov. 14 - 4 p.m. (C.T.) Bayamon, Puerto Rico
Radio: 1260 KROX AM/105.7 FM (Chris Fee, Play by Play)
Online: www.kroxam.com

CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston women's basketball team will open up the 2015-16 regular-season with a pair of NCAA Division II games as they head down to Puerto Rico. The Golden Eagles will play University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras Fri., Nov. 13 at 2 p.m. (C.T.) in San Juan Puerto Rico. UMC will then take on University of Puerto Rico-Bayamon Sat., Nov. 14 at 4 p.m. (C.T.) in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Both schools are NCAA Division II independents.

Friday and Saturday's games will be the first regular-season contests for the Golden Eagles, who went 1-1 in exhibitions against North Dakota State University and University of North Dakota. UMC came away their first-ever victory over an NCAA Division I opponent in a 76-73 win over the Bison. UMC then fell 72-47 to UND. The Golden Eagles are looking to follow up a strong season in which the Golden Eagles went 14-14 (12-10 NSIC) and finished third in the NSIC North. UMC would go on to host their first-ever playoff game in all sports, in which they would pick up a last-second win over Concordia University, St. Paul. Minnesota Crookston then advanced to the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D., where they lost to Minnesota State University, Mankato.

UMC is led by seniors Alexa Thielman (G, Buffalo, Minn.) and Katrina Nordick (F, Perham, Minn.). Both players were All-NSIC First Team selections last season for the Golden Eagles. Nordick would be selected as the NSIC North Preseason Player of the Year after averaging 14.5 points and 6.8 rebounds as a junior.

Thielman would average 15.4 points and 4.3 rebounds last season. Both players are 1,000 point scorers for the Golden Eagles.

In addition to Thielman and Nordick, UMC returns two more starters in Emily Gruber (Fr., F/C, Monticello, Minn.) and Micaela Noga (Fr., G, Parkers Prairie, Minn.). Gruber was an NSIC All-Freshman pick after averaging 9.1 points and 5.5 rebounds, while Noga averaged 8.8 points and 3.6 rebounds.

UMC also has a talented freshman class, which showed in moments during the preseason. Alison Hughes (Fr., G, Janesville, Wis.) had 18 points and five assists in the North Dakota State win, while Caitlin Michaelis (Fr., G, ) came off the bench for three points and six boards. Redshirt Freshman Isieoma Odor (F/C, Bloomington) will also be crucial for UMC, as will Megan Taylor (R-Jr., F/C, Estelline, S.D.).

Follow the Golden Eagles on Facebook at Golden Eagle Sports and on Twitter at @UMCAthletics.

The University of Minnesota Crookston is a NCAA Division II university located in the Red River Valley of Northwest Minnesota. UMC sponsors 11 intercollegiate athletic teams with membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate conference (NSIC) and the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). The NSIC is a 16-team conference with schools situated in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska.
 
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