ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston men's basketball team used a balanced effort to upend University of Arkansas Monticello 68-58 Sun., Nov. 11 at the GAC/NSIC Crossover at the Gangelhoff Center in St. Paul, Minn.
Harrison Cleary (Jr., G, Oak Creek, Wis.) led the way with 19 points, five rebounds, and five assists.
Josh Collins (Sr., F, Minneapolis, Minn.) added a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds on 4-of-8 from the field.
Chase Knickerbocker (Sr., G/F, Annandale, Minn.) rounded out the double-figure scorers with 17 points on 7-of-13 from the field.
The Golden Eagles shot 39.1 percent from the field and 6-of-19 from beyond the arc for 31.6 percent. In addition, Minnesota Crookston was 12-of-17 from the charity stripe for 70.6 percent. Minnesota Crookston edged Arkansas Monticello on the boards 40-37. Collins led the team on the glass with six offensive rebounds and six defensive rebounds. Minnesota Crookston had 12 assists to 11 turnovers.
Minnesota Crookston moves to 1-1 on the season with Sunday's victory over the Boll Weevils. Arkansas Monticello falls to 0-2 with Sunday's loss. The Boll Weevils went 19-12 last season, including their 71-64 win over the Golden Eagles in Russellville, Ark., last season.
In addition to the three double-figure scorers,
Ben Juhl (So., G, Clive, Iowa) added eight points.
Chase Johnson (R-So., F/C, La Crosse, Wis.) chipped in five points and seven rebounds off the bench.
Gable Smith (R-Sr., F/C, Lodi, Wis.), last year's NSIC Defensive Player of the Year, proved why he earned that award with four blocked shots and three steals. He added four points and five rebounds.
The Boll Weevils returned just one player from last year's squad as they were almost an entirely different team from last season's squad that played the Golden Eagles. Darnell Wright guided the team with 15 points and seven boards. Marcus Gilbert came off the bench for 15 points, while Keelin Jackson chipped in seven points and six rebounds.
Arkansas Monticello shot 21-of-54 for 38.9 percent on the day. The Boll Weevils were 5-of-13 from beyond the arc, and 11-of-16 from the foul.
Minnesota Crookston has improved dramatically on defense. In games against Arkansas Tech and Arkansas-Monticello last season, the Golden Eagles allowed an average of 92.5 points. In the first two contests this season, Minnesota Crookston is allowing just 66 points per game. The Golden Eagles have improved by 26.5 points per game through the first two tilts.
Minnesota Crookston ran out of the gate in Sunday's game as an old-fashioned three-point play for Knickerbocker put the Golden Eagles up 9-2. Arkansas Monticello came back and cut the lead to 11-10 on a pair of Kwame McBean free throws. The Boll Weevils took the lead over 15-13 with a Wright jumper.
The Golden Eagles responded with a 9-2 run with an exclamation mark put on it on a Knickerbocker dunk to move the advantage to 22-17 with 5:24 remaining in the opening half.
Arkansas Monticello was pesky as they did not go away, closing the deficit to 22-21 on a Jared Embry jumper. Minnesota Crookston countered with a quick 4-0 run to jump back out to a 26-21 advantage.
The Boll Weevils countered once again as they overtook Minnesota Crookston 27-26 with a Jordan Embry jumper. Minnesota Crookston responded in a key spot as Collins found Knickerbocker for a bucket to conclude a quick 4-0 rally to make it 30-27. A tip-in from Arkansas Monticello's Austin Hardy cut the lead to 30-29 as the two teams went into the locker room for the half.
The Boll Weevils took the early momentum in the second frame as a 4-0 run gave them a 33-30 advantage following a pair of Jordan Embry free throws. A tip-in from Collins put the Golden Eagles back on top 34-33 with 16:53 remaining in the game.
A basket from Wright tipped the game back in favor of Arkansas Monticello 35-34. Minnesota Crookston then got a sense of urgency as five points from Collins ignited an 8-2 run for the Golden Eagles to make it 42-37.
Minnesota Crookston widened the gap to 53-41 following a Knickerbocker trey and a pair of Cleary free throws with 7:50 remaining.
The Boll Weevils were able to close the deficit to 62-55 with a Gilbert bucket with 1:20 remaining. However, the Golden Eagles hit four-straight free throws and Smith found Knickerbocker for a dunk to seal the victory 68-58 over Arkansas Monticello.
Minnesota Crookston returns home to face Oak Hills Christian College Wed., Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. at Lysaker Gymnasium in Crookston, Minn.
