MARSHALL, Minn. – Southwest Minnesota State University used 58 first-half points to upend the University of Minnesota Crookston men's basketball team 100-68 at the R/A Facility in Marshall, Minn. It was Hawai'ian Night for SMSU as they had 2,455 fans in attendance.

UMC stuck with SMSU in the second half, out-scoring the Mustangs 44-42 in the second frame, but the first half for the Mustangs was too much in the end.

UMC falls to 3-19 (1-17 NSIC) with Saturday's loss. Southwest Minnesota State improved to 12-11 (8-10 NSIC) with the victory.

"They sped us up and we took poor shots and it snow-balled on us," said Head Coach Dan Weisse. "It is a fun night to play with the crowd. I would love to bring our guys back on Hawai'ian night, it won't hurt as we continue to get older. They played their game and we didn't play our game. We out-scored them in the second half and I liked how our bench guys handled it. It is a team game and we need to stay together as a team. We know where we are going. Sometimes you need to take a step back to take a step forward. As long as we stay together and each individual player continues to get better, we will continue to grow as a program.

UMC was led by C.J. Polk (So., G, Milwaukee, Wis./Business Management) with 15 points on 4-of-9 from the field and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. Kobe Critchley (Fr., G, Roseville, Minn./Health Sciences) had 11 points on 4-of-8 from the field. Derrick Redd, Jr. (Sr., G, Menifee, Calif./Sports and Rec Management) added nine points, while Chase Knickerbocker (Fr., G/F, Annandale, Minn./Business Finance) had eight points.

UMC was 22-of-55 for 40 percent from the field and 7-of-21 for 33.3 percent from beyond the arc. The Golden Eagles were 17-of-23 for 73.9 percent from the charity stripe.

Southwest Minnesota State was led by six players who scored in double figures. Carter Kirk came off the bench for 14 points on 6-of-8 from the field. M.J. Delmore came off the bench for 13, while Shaun Condon also had 13. Mitch Weg finished with 12, while Joey Bartlett and Taylor Schafer each had 10.

SMSU was 38-of-59 for 64.4 percent from the field, 8-of-14 for 57.1 percent from beyond  the arc and 16-of-18 from the charity stripe for 88.9 percent.

The Mustangs controlled the first half over the Golden Eagles, getting out to a 58-24 lead at the break as they shot 20-of-30 for 66.7 percent from the field, 4-of-7 for 57.1 percent from beyond the arc and 14-of-14 for 100 percent from the charity stripe.

The Golden Eagles were led by seven points from Redd, who was 3-of-3 from the field. Polk added four points. UMC was 10-of-27 for 37 percent from the field, 3-of-10 for 30 percent from beyond the arc and 1-of-3 for 33.3 percent from the charity stripe.

The Mustangs had four players score in double-figures in the first half led by 12 points from Weg. Shaun Condon added 11, while Schafer and Kirk each had 10 points. SMSU controlled the boards, out-rebounding UMC 25-3.

The Golden Eagles would be able to hang with UMC early in the second half and actually out-score the Mustangs early 11-10, but the Mustangs would still hold a 68-35 advantage due to their strong first half. SMSU would extend their lead to 82-42 after a pair of Delmore threes with 10:35 left in the game. The Mustangs would hang on despite UMC hanging with the Mustangs in the second half. SMSU would win 100-68.

The Golden Eagles will return home for the final time this season as they host Minot State University Feb. 12 and University of Mary Feb. 13. Saturday will be senior day for Derrick Redd, Jr., who has been a great five-year player for the Golden Eagles and has been a great influence on and off the court for UMC.

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

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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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