Isieoma Odor (R-Jr., F/C, Bloomington, Minn.) led Golden Eagle scoring with 17 points along with eight rebounds and two blocks. Odor continues her strong play in the low post grabbing rebounds and making big shots while shooting well at the line. She was 6-of-14 from the field and 5-of-7 from the charity stripe Saturday.
Caitlin Michaelis (Jr., G, Marshfield, Wis.) added 16 points along with two assists and two rebounds.
Abby Guidinger (Fr., G/F, Waukesha, Wis.) also contributed 13 points with four rebounds and two assists. Guidinger is averaging 16.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game over the last five games.
Micaela Noga (Sr., G, Parkers Prairie, Minn.) added seven points and three assists for the night.
The Golden Eagles were 23-of-56 from the field for 41.1 percent. Minnesota Crookston was 12-of-14 for 85.7 percent from the free throw line. The Golden Eagles shot poorly from beyond the arc making 9-of-28 for 32.1 percent.
Minot State shot 28-of-66 for 42.2 percent from the field. The Beavers were 7-of-22 from beyond the arc for 31.8 percent along with 14-of-18 for 77.8 percent on free throws. The big difference tonight was the Beavers out-rebounding Minnesota Crookston 46-26. Second-chance points led Minot State on the game as they had 21 offensive rebounds leading to 18 second-chance points.
The Beavers were dominant in the post for the majority of the night. Holly Johnson, a University of North Dakota transfer, completed a double-double with 24 points along with 12 rebounds for the Beavers. Diondra Denton added 15 points with six rebounds, while Kristal Flowers added  a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds as well.
Minot State scored the first basket of the night but Michaelis quickly responded with a three pointer for Minnesota Crookston. The Beavers would remain hot as they took an early 13-5 lead. Guidinger came off the bench hitting a three to cut into the deficit. Minnesota Crookston struggled from behind the arc while Minot capitalized on those misses pushing their lead to 24-15 to end the first quarter. Madison Wald had a strong first quarter scoring six points for Minot while Michaelis led the way for Minnesota Crookston scoring six, as well.
Minot State would continue the second quarter with the hot hand extending their lead to 31-21. Minnesota Crookston could not get much going as they continued to struggle shooting.
Paige Weakley (So., G/F, Kearney, Mo.) provided a spark off the bench by making a three-pointer, which would give Minnesota Crookston a little momentum with a couple minutes remaining in the half. Both teams traded threes as time expired to end the half, making the score 42-32 Minot State.
The Beavers came out of half making the first bucket but Minnesota Crookston's Michaelis responded with a three-pointer to make it a single point deficit. Minot State cooled down as Minnesota Crookston took the momentum. The Beavers would regain momentum as Denton made two 3-pointers to push the lead back to double digits. Minnesota Crookston struggled to get shots to fall while Minot State shot well from beyond the arc as Minot led 62-49 to close out the third quarter.
Odor got scoring started for the first quarter followed by a three-pointer from Noga as they cut the deficit to single digits. Odor made another big shot to close in on Minot State's lead making the score 62-56 with 7:20 remaining in the game. The Beavers used free throws from Denton and Johnson to extend their lead back out to nine at 65-56 with 5:07 left in the game. Minnesota Crookston would be able to cut the deficit back down to six as Michaelis connected on a trey with 2:24 left in the game. Minot State fended off the late charge as Kari Clements hit a shot and Denton hit a pair of free throws to push the lead back out to 10. The Beavers would hold on for the win as they knocked down free throws in the final seconds to win 77-67.
Minnesota Crookston will hit the road next weekend beginning Fri., Jan. 26 at Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn. at 6 p.m.Â
