CROOKSTON, Minn. - The University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles were able to overcome a slow first half to defeat the Southwest Minnesota State  Mustangs Saturday evening at Lysaker Gymnasium. Ebony Livingston's big first half helped the Golden Eagles on their way to a 78-54 victory. Three players would finish the night for UMC with double-doubles as Alexa Thielman (Jr., G, Buffalo, Minn./Health Science), Emily Gruber (Fr., F/C, Monticello, Minn./Undecided) and Katrina Moenkedick (Jr., F, Perham, Minn./Applied Studies) all accomplished the milestone. It is a rare occurence to have three players obtain double-doubles in a single game for the same team.

The other story for the Golden Eagles on the evening was their control of the glass, UMC out-rebounded SMSU 54-35 led by 25 offensive rebounds.

The Golden Eagles improve to 11-11 (10-8 NSIC) with the win, and now have sole possession of third place in the NSIC North as they battle to host the first round of the NSIC Tournament. UMC also accomplished 11 wins, marking the first time UMC has had 11 or more wins since the 2010-11 season. The Golden Eagle's all-time leading scorer Jamie Zelinsky, who led the team that season, was in attendance for Saturday's Alumni game as UMC accomplished the milestone.

A balanced scoring attack and rebounding force was the defining trait for the Golden Eagles. All five starters scored in double figures and four of the five starters had seven or more rebounds. Gruber topped the scoring chart with 17 points and added  11 board. Thielman led the way on the glass with 12 rebounds and tallied 13 points, while Moenkedick finished with 10 points and 11 boards. Livingston would notch 13 points and seven baords and Micaela Noga (Fr., G, Parkers Prairie, Minn./Health Management) would round out the starters with 11 points on the evening.

The Golden Eagles would finish the game shooting 29-of-79 for 36.7 percent from the field and 7-of-19 for 36.8 percent from beyond the arc. They were also strong on the charity stripe, shooting 13-of-13.

Annessa Rosch led the way for SMSU with 15 points. Not a single Mustang player had seven or more
 rebounds. SMSU was 23-of-61 for 37.7 percent from the field and 5-of-14 from beyond the arc for 35.7 percent.

The Golden Eagles got things rolling early to get a lead of 6-2. It did not take long for Southwest to get back in front through a few mid-range jumpers. After an Ashley Martell (Sr., G, Somerset, Wis./Health Science)three-pointer UMC entered the first media timeout with a 12-11 lead.

The Golden Eagles were not able to capitalize off their early dominance on the boards partly due to shooting 28.6 percent from the field.

Through the second media timeout the Golden Eagles continued to dominate the boards, but shooting woes limited them to a 16-15 lead.

A 9-0 run by the Mustangs gave them their largest lead of the night at 8 points. After a Coach Mike Roysland timeout the UMC squad answered with more energy and a small run of their own. Lauren Hedlund ended the run for UMC with a jumper from the left wing.

UMC led at halftime 38-30 despite second-leading scorer Moenkedick being held scoreless. Livingston picked up the slack shooting and on the glass for the Golden Eagles with 13 points and 6 rebounds.
Moenkedick found other ways to contribute with 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal.

SMSU's Hedlund led the way for the Mustangs with 12 points and five rebounds. SMSU out-shot the Golden Eagles by 8.6 percent but could not prevent second chance points. 18 of the Golden Eagles 38 first half points came after an offensive rebound.

The Golden Eagles came out of the locker room with fire showed by a quick six points to extend their lead to 14. That lead was cut down to eight by the first media timeout of the second half.

With SMSU doing nothing to stop the Golden Eagles on the offensive boards, they were able to bring their lead back to 14 and beyond. At the under 5 timeout UMC led 66-47. Thielman and Gruber had double-doubles at this point.

With the rotational players getting some extended playing time, the Golden Eagles were able to continue outscoring SMSU and the game ended 78-54

Next weekend the Golden Eagles travel to North Dakota. They take on Minot State University and the University of Mary. With a couple wins the Golden Eagles could improve their seed with eyes slowly shifting toward the conference tournament.

For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at www.goldeneaglesports.com.
 
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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).