CROOKSTON, Minn. - The University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles soared by the University of Sioux Falls Cougars by the score of 71-62, as they attempted to secure the home-court advantage for the first round of the NSIC play-offs. Katrina Moenkedick's (Jr., F, Perham, Minn./Applied Studies) and Ebony Livingston's (Sr., G/F, Minneapolis, Minn./Sports and Rec Management) double-doubles were the story of the night, as the two combined for 36 points and 22 rebounds. Alexa Thielman (Jr., G, Buffalo, Minn./Health Science) also added 20 points, leaving only 15 total points for the other two starters. 

The Golden Eagles improved to 10-11 (9-8 NSIC) with the victory and with a St. Cloud State University loss, moving into a tie for third place with University of Minnesota Duluth heading into the final five games of the regular-season.

All of the Golden Eagle points were scored by their starters, with 22 by Moenkedick, 20 by Thielman, and 14 by Livingston. UMC looked to their bench for a support in terms of minutes

The Golden Eagles matched up fairly evenly to the Cougars in the first half of the ball game, with the score 10-11 respectively after the first media time out. Thielman's three sunk in as the shot clock expired to give UMC's squad a slight edge, however, the USF's total 23-15 push started in the middle of the first half turned the momentum the other way. Sam Knecht with her 6-for-11 was at the helm of that shift. Crookston was unable to come up with a major answer, at times struggling to find the basket in their 12-for-31 in the first half.

Alexa Thielman was on the front of the line for the home team, shooting 50 percent (4-for-8). That was not enough to down the Cougars and especially Knecht, sending the Golden Eagles to the locker room eight points down, 28-36 at the half.
 
Head Coach Mike Roysland together with his coaching staff must have struck a deep note with the team at half-time, because the Golden Eagles came back for the second half were nothing like the first 20 minutes of the game.

All of the 617 fans in attendance saw the Cougars hunted down by the Golden Eagles, coming from an impressive 36-31 run that resulted from six offensive rebounds (as well as eight turnovers) for the Golden Eagles.The score differential fell down to mere three, and UMC got closer after Thielman's third three-point made from beyond the arc on the evening. Moenkedick contributed with sixteen of her own (including four free throws) and at that point, she got her third double-double of the year. Livingston made all ten of her shots from the charity stripe that half.

In addition, Micaela Noga (Fr., G, Parkers Prairie, Minn./Health Management), notced six points in the second half with four made free-throws.

Shortly after Noga earned a new career-high in rebounds (when the game became tied for the fifth time), she drained a beautiful three-pointer, while Moenkedick made another layup, lifting UMC to a 57-53 lead. Another Noga layup was answered with a Cougar two-pointer, which kept the Golden Eagle lead at four.

In the last two minutes, the UMC's squad turned the odds in their favor. In the entire ballgame, Sioux Falls kept the lead for 30:42 and a tie for 03:28, which left the Golden Eagles with only 05:50 of the lead.

The Golden Eagles will face Southwest Minnesota State University (3-18 overall, 3-14 NSIC), who are coming off of a loss to Bemidji State University.

The games start at 4 p.m. on Sat., February 7 at the Lysaker Gymnasium.

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).