CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston men's basketball team fell in an overtime thriller 84-80 to Northern State University Sat., Jan. 23 at Lysaker Gymnasium. The Golden Eagles were led by C.J. Polk (So., G, Milwaukee, Wis./Business Management) with 29 points on 10-of-17 from the field and 8-of-8 from the charity stripe.

UMC forced overtime on a Ben Grygiel (Jr., F, Rockford, Ill./Business Management) three with five seconds left in regulation. Northern State would be able to take control of the game following a pair of free throws from D.J. Pollard and an old-fashioned three-point play from Pollard to put the Wolves up 74-69 with 3:20 left in overtime. UMC would get to within one on a Gable Smith (R-Fr., F, Lodi, Wis./Business Management) three, within 74-73 with 2:06 left. However, Northern State would extend their lead to three on a Darin Peterka lay-up and would be able to close out the game with free throws to take the win 84-80.

In addition to 29 points for Polk, he added six rebounds and four assists. Kobe Critchley (Fr., G, Roseville, Minn./Health Science) added 11 points and six assists. The Golden Eagles had four players with eight rebounds. Redd added eight points, in addition Smith had eight boards, eight rebounds and five blocks. Nate Lorenz (Fr., F, Breckenridge, Minn./Health Science) had eight, as did Grygiel.

The Golden Eagles were 29-of-59 for 49.2 percent. They would go 6-of-21 for 28.6 percent from beyond the arc. UMC was 16-of-20 for 80 percent from the charity stripe.

Northern State was led by 22 points and nine rebounds from 6-10 Carter Evans, who was 10-of-18 from the field. Skye Warwick added 20 points and seven assists. Mack Arvidson came off the bench with 12 points on 4-of-8 from the field.
The Wolves were 28-of-64 for 43.8 percent from the field, while Northern State was 4-of-20 for 20 percent from beyond the arc. The Wolves were 24-of-30 for 80 percent from the charity strip.

UMC would take an 18-13 advantage mid-way through the first half as Chase Knickerbocker (Fr., G/F, Annandale, Minn./Business Finance) hit a three.
Northern State would go on a 7-0 run, culminating in a lay-up from Evans to put the Wolves up 20-18 with 7:54 left in the half. UMC would be able to take the lead back as Polk hit a lay-up with 4:58 remaining in the first period. The Wolves would take the lead and take it out to four points on an Arvidson jumper with 3:34 left in the half. However, UMD would strike again, tying the game up 31-31 on a Polk jumper at the two minute mark. UMC would be able to knot up the game 33-33 on a pair of Redd free throws heading into the break.

Northern State would take a 46-42 lead on a Peterka fast-break lay-up at the 14:02 mark. The Wolves would extend their lead to 53-46 on an Arvidson jumper with 8:04 remaining. UMC was able to cut the deficit to 56-54 with a Critchley lay-up with 5:20 remaining.

UMC was able to cut the deficit to 64-63 on a Smith three with 1:01 left in the game.

Northern State was able to push their lead out to 67-64 on a Fries free throw but Grygiel would answer with a big three of a Critchley assist to knot the game up and send it to overtime.

The Golden Eagles would get the game within one 76-75 on a Redd lay-up with 1:25 left in overtime, ut a Peterka lay-up and free throws would keep UMC at bay as Northern State would hang on for the win.

UMC will return to action as they face Upper Iowa University Fri., Jan. 29 at 8 p.m. and Sat., Jan. 30 at 6 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 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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