RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The University of Minnesota Crookston gave up a 22-11 run at the end of the game as they fell 114-105 in the season opener to Arkansas Tech University. The Golden Eagles led 59-54 at the half led by lights out three-point shooting and would lead 94-92 with 6:49 remaining. However, the Wonder Boys closed out the game with a 22-11 run paced by 10 points from University of Arkansas transfer R.J. Glasper and eight points from Montrell Williams.

Minnesota Crookston starts the year with a 0-1 mark despite leading for 31 of 40 minutes in Friday's debut to the 2017-18 season. Arkansas Tech opens the season with a 1-0 mark after the victory in the GAC/NSIC Crossover. The Wonder Boys were an NCAA Division II Tournament team last season. They were picked to finish second in the Great America Conference.

The Golden Eagles looked to 31 points from reining NSIC Freshman of the Year Harrison Cleary (So., G, Oak Creek, Wis.). Cleary shot 13-of-26 from the field and 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. Cleary scored 25-of-31 points in the opening half. Cleary added five rebounds. Alan Hodge, Jr. (Jr., G, Dallas, Texas) notched 21 points on 7-of-17 from the field and 5-of-8 from the charity stripe. Hodge chipped in four assists. Chase Knickerbocker (Jr., G/F, Annandale, Minn.) tallied 18 points and eight boards on 7-of-12 from the field. Freshman Ben Juhl (Fr., G, Clive, Iowa) had a strong debut with 18 points on 7-of-12 from the field. Gable Smith (R-Jr., F, Lodi, Wis.) notched 10 points and four boards.

Minnesota Crookston shot 44-of-76 from the field for 55.3 percent. The Golden Eagles were 11-of-27 for 40.7 percent from beyond the arc. However, Minnesota Crookston was limited to just 1-of-11 from distance in the second half. The Golden Eagles were 10-of-17 for 58.8 percent from the free throw line. They handled the ball well with 11 assists to eight turnovers.

Arkansas Tech looked to seven players with double figures. Glasper led the way with 26 points on 9-of-15 from the field and 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. Williams added 17 points on 7-of-8 from the field. Williams added eight rebounds. Trevin Woods chipped in 15 points and nine boards. Harris Brown added 14 points and seven assists. Alex Brown notched 13 points and seven rebounds. Leonardo Edwards, a Division I transfer from Kent State University, added 12 points, while Mason Cline finished with 11 points.

The Wonder Boys controlled the glass by the tune of 45-28. They shot 46-of-77 from the field for 59.7 percent. Arkansas Tech was 9-of-22 from beyond the arc for 40.9 percent and 13-of-16 from the charity stripe for 81.3 percent.

Minnesota Crookston raced out to an 8-0 lead in the first half with all eight points coming from the hand of Cleary. The Golden Eagles would push their lead to 15-4 led by four points from Hodge and a trey from Cleary. The Wonder Boys pulled within 15-11 on a bucket from Edwards. However, Minnesota Crookston staved off Arkansas Tech with a triple from Knickerbocker and a jumper from Cleary. Minnesota Crookston built their lead back out to 10 at 23-13 following a three-pointer from Hodge. Arkansas Tech countered with a 7-0 run to cut the lead to three at 23-20 as Cline connected from outside. Minnesota Crookston staved off the Wonder Boys and continued to hold the lead 29-23 after a three-pointer from Cleary.

Arkansas Tech then used a 9-0 run to take a 32-29 lead on a bucket from Alex Brown with 10:07 left in the first half. The lead would be the first for the Wonder Boys. Arkansas Tech would only the hold the lead until the 7:50 mark when Chase Johnson (So., F, La Crosse, Wis.) converted an old-fashioned three-point play to put Minnesota Crookston ahead 36-34. The Golden Eagles built their lead back out to nine at 55-46 with a triple from Juhl. The Wonder Boys would cut the lead to 59-54 with a basket from Woods going into the break.

The Golden Eagles went into the half up 59-54 on the Wonder Boys. Minnesota Crookston looked to a staggering 25 points from Cleary in the first half. He shot 10-of-16 from the field and 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. Juhl added 12 points on 5-of-8 from the field and 2-of-4 from three-point range, while Knickerbocker put up eight points on 3-of-5 from the field.

Minnesota Crookston shot 24-of-40 for an impressive 60 percent in the first half. They controlled the pace of the game early on with their accuracy from beyond the arc as they went 10-of-16 for 62.5 percent.

Arkansas Tech looked to Cline with 11 points on a perfect 4-of-4 from the field and 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. Edwards picked up 10 points, while Williams and Glasper each added seven points.

The Wonder Boys shot 23-of-40 in the first half for 57.5 percent. They were 5-of-11 from beyond the arc for 45.5 percent.

Arkansas Tech cut the Minnesota Crookston advantage to 61-59 in the early going of the second half following an old-fashioned three-point play from Williams. The Golden Eagles held off the Wonder Boys with a 6-0 run as they took the 67-59 lead on a basket from Johnson. Minnesota Crookston moved their advantage out to nine on a Knickerbocker free throw to make it 74-65 with 14:49 left in the game. The Wonder Boys made a charge with a 7-0 run as they cut the lead to 77-76 with 11:35 left paced by five points from Alex Brown. The Golden Eagles responded and used a 9-3 run to take the 86-79 advantage with 9:41 remaining.

Arkansas Tech would be able to cut the lead to 90-88 as they pieced away at the Minnesota Crookston lead. The Wonder Boys would tie the game up twice in the next two minutes before the Golden Eagles took a 94-92 lead following a pair of free throws from Hodge. Arkansas Tech used a quick 4-0 run to tilt the game in their favor 96-94 with four points from Williams. Minnesota Crookston responded and knotted the game up 98-98 on as basket from Hodge with 5:01 left in the game. Arkansas Tech then took command of the game with an 8-0 run paced by two crucial three-pointers from Glasper to make it 106-98 with 3:32 remaining. The Wonder Boys moved their advantage to 110-99 on another Glasper basket. The Golden Eagles cut the lead to 110-103 on a trey from Hodge with 1:22 left. However, it would not be enough as Arkansas Tech closed the game on a 22-11 run to take the 114-105 win.

Minnesota Crookston will continue the GAC/NSIC Crossover Sat., Nov. 11 against No. 23 University of Arkansas-Monticello. The game will be played at Tucker Coliseum on the campus of Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, Ark.