CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston men's basketball team was dominant in a 104-68 win over Oak Hills Christian Academy Tues., Nov. 14 at Lysaker Gymnasium. The Golden Eagles out-scored the Wolfpack 83-51 in the final 28 minutes of the game after Oak Hills Christian kept the game close in the opening 12 minutes.

Minnesota Crookston picks up their first win of the season to move to 1-2 on the year. They continued to show their offensive prowess as they tallied over 100 points for the second time this season. The Golden Eagles are averaging 91.0 points per game, a drastic improvement from 73.0 points per game during the 2016-17 season. Oak Hills Christian, a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), falls to 1-4 on the season with the loss.

The Golden Eagles finished the night 41-of-75 from the field for 54.7 percent. They were 11-of-24 for 45.8 percent from beyond the arc and 11-of-20 for 55.0 percent from the charity stripe. Minnesota Crookston looked to Alan Hodge, Jr. (Jr., G, Dallas, Texas) with 23 points on 9-of-15 from the field and 5-of-10 from long range. Harrison Cleary (So., G,  Oak Creek, Wis.) added 17 points on 8-of-14 from the field. Chase Knickerbocker (Jr., G/F, Annandale, Minn.) notched 12 points.

Crookston-native Aaron Hollcraft (Jr., G, Crookston, Minn.), the epitome of a team player and hard worker day in and day out, scored a career-high 13 points on 6-of-8 from the field. Ben Juhl (Fr., G, Clive, Iowa) continued to be an impact player off the bench with 16 points. Gable Smith (R-Jr., F, Lodi, Wis.) controlled the glass with 11 rebounds and added eight points. He was overwhelming defensively as he had five blocks on the night. Minnesota Crookston would win the rebounding battle on the night by the tune of 46-39.

Oak Hills Christian looked to the shooting of Duke Abalos, who had 25 points on 9-of-15 from the field and 7-of-10 from beyond the arc. Ezekiel Cook chipped in a double-double of 19 points and 11 boards. Phillip Harris added 11 points and four boards, while Jaren Brooks paced the team with five rebounds.

The Wolfpack shot 27-of-68 from the field for 39.7 percent. They were 10-of-24 for 41.7 percent from beyond the arc. Oak Hills Christian struggled to control the ball on the day as they had just nine assists to 19 turnovers.

The Golden Eagles raced out to a 6-0 advantage out of the gate on Tuesday. However, Oak Hills Christian used a 7-0 run of their own as they took the lead 7-6 on a Cook basket. Minnesota Crookston responded with a 4-0 run to take the 11-7 advantage with a trey from Knickerbocker and a bucket from Smith. The Golden Eagles extended their lead to 19-11 guided by four points from Cleary. Oak Hills Christian was able to pull within 21-17 with 8:16 left in the first half on a three-pointer from Jackson.

Minnesota Crookston took over for the rest of the first half as they went on a 21-7 run to close the period out. The Golden Eagles led 42-24 at the break.

The Golden Eagles looked to 10 points from Hodge on 4-of-8 from the field in the first half. Cleary chipped in eight points on 4-of-8 from the field, while Smith added eight points and six boards. Juhl notched seven points in the opening half. Minnesota Crookston shot 17-of-33 for 51.5 percent. They were 4-of-10 for 40.0 percent from beyond the arc.

Oak Hills Christian shot 17-of-33 for 51.5 percent from the field in the first half. The Wolfpack was 6-of-9 from beyond the arc for 66.7 percent. Oak Hills Christian shot 10-of-35 for 28.6 percent in the first half. They were 4-of-15 for 26.7 percent from beyond the arc. Abalos led the way with eight points, while Cook notched six points and seven boards. Jackson chipped in six points.

Minnesota Crookston won the second half 62-44. The closest the Wolfpack would come in the half was 15 points at the 19:10 mark left in the frame after a Cook bucket. The Golden Eagles led by as many as 39 points after a Juhl jumper with 18 seconds left in the game. Abalos cut the lead to 104-68 with a last-second three-pointer. That would be the final tally as the Golden Eagles left Lysaker Gymnasium victorious.

The Golden Eagles will return to action Sat., Nov. 18 as they host University of Sioux Falls in a non-conference tilt at 3:30 p.m. at Lysaker Gymnasium.