CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston men's basketball team opened NSIC play with a decisive 83-57 win over Bemidji State University Sat., Nov. 25 at Lysaker Gymnasium. The Golden Eagles used superb ball movement and staunch defense to come away with the convincing win. Minnesota Crookston moves to 2-1 in their last three games against their conference rival located just 88 miles down U.S. Highway 2 in Northwest Minnesota.

The Golden Eagles level their mark at 3-3 (1-0 NSIC) on the season. Bemidji State's mark also moves to .500 on the year as they are 3-3 (0-1 NSIC) following Saturday's loss. The victory marks the first time Minnesota Crookston has started conference play with a win in the Dan Weisse era as they have continually shown growth each season under his leadership. The victory is Minnesota Crookston's biggest over Bemidji State in the program's 19 seasons as a member of the NSIC.

Minnesota Crookston had 10 players score on the game as ball movement was the key to an impressive performance for the Golden Eagles. Minnesota Crookston had 16 assists on 33 made field goals on the day. The Golden Eagles turned the ball over just seven times.

Harrison Cleary (So., G, Oak Creek, Wis.), the conference's leading scorer, led the Golden Eagles with 23 points on 9-of-16 from the field and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. Cleary, the team's point guard, had an impressive assist-turnover ratio as he had eight assists and no turnovers on the game.

Gable Smith (R-Jr., F/C, Lodi, Wis.) put together one of his best games in a Golden Eagle uniform as he notched a double-double of 16 points and 10 boards. Smith chipped in five blocks for the game.

Alan Hodge, Jr. (Jr., G, Dallas, Texas) finished with 16 points on 7-of-14 from the field. Darin Viken (Jr., G, Fosston, Minn.) was the "glue guy" for Minnesota Crookston as he did all the little things right with his seven points, five boards and one assist. Ben Juhl (Fr., G, Clive, Iowa) also was crucial in many ways with his six points, six rebounds and four assists. Chase Knickerbocker (Jr., G/F, Annandale, Minn.) tallied seven points and five boards, while Javier Nicolau (So., F/C, Castellon, Spain) continued to show his development with four points and five rebounds.

The Golden Eagles shot 33-of-67 for 49.3 percent from the field. Minnesota Crookston was 8-of-21 for 38.1 percent from behind the three-point line. The Golden Eagles shot 9-of-11 for 81.8 percent from the charity stripe.

Minnesota Crookston controlled the glass by the tune of 40-35 on the game. The Golden Eagles had 14 offensive boards on the game.

The Golden Eagles controlled the Bemidji State offense with their defensive prowess as they did not give up many open looks on the day. The 57 points for the Beavers is the lowest output the Golden Eagles have allowed since giving up 53 points to Winona State University Jan. 30, 2016.
Bemidji State was 23-of-62 for 37.1 percent on the game. The Beavers were held to just 6-of-26 for 23.1 percent in the opening stanza. Bemidji State was just 6-of-23 for 26.1 percent on the day. The Beavers shot 5-of-5 from the foul line.

The Beavers struggled to control the ball on the day as they had nine assists to 14 turnovers. Bemidji State looked to 18 points from Jai'Vionne Green. Logan Bader added nine points and five rebounds. Sharif Black finished with eight points and four boards. Kyle Sorenson came off the bench for eight points and four boards, while Lucas Wendt had four points and six rebounds.

Minnesota Crookston jetted out to a 7-3 lead in the first half following a pair of Knickerbocker free throws. Bemidji State came back and cut the lead to 7-5 with a pair of free throws from Black. However, the Golden Eagles responded as Viken nailed a triple and Cleary sank a jumper to move the advantage to 12-5. Minnesota Crookston continued to extend their lead as a Hodge basket made it 20-11 with 9:09 remaining in the opening half. Bemidji State responded with a 5-0 run to cut the lead to 20-15 following a Green fast-break bucket. The Golden Eagles came up in a crucial spot with a 13-0 run led by five points from Knickerbocker and four from Cleary as they moved their advantage to 33-15. Minnesota Crookston would go into the break with a 34-17 advantage.

Cleary led Minnesota Crookston at the break with 10 points on 5-of-9 from the field. Knickerbocker chipped in seven points, while Smith had six points and four boards. The Golden Eagles shot 13-of-32 for 40.6 percent in the opening half.

Bemidji State shot 6-of-26 for 23.1 percent in the first half. They were just 1-of-10 for 10 percent from beyond the arc. Green paced the squad with seven points.

The Golden Eagles continued where they left off as they opened the second half with a 9-2 run to extend their lead to 43-19 paced by four points from Hodge. Minnesota Crookston built their lead up to 25 on a pair of Cleary free throws with 15:41 left in the game. Bemidji State countered and got the lead down to 18 with a Green bucket with 11:55 remaining. Minnesota Crookston came back and extended their advantage to a game-high 31 points following a Hodge basket with 2:58 left in the game. The Golden Eagles would come away with an 83-57 at the conclusion of the 40 minutes.

Minnesota Crookston will look to build off their positive momentum as they host St. Cloud State University Fri., Dec. 1 at 8 p.m. at Lysaker Gymnasium.