Golden Eagles Set For NSIC Home Opening Weekend Against MSU Moorhead and Northern State

•  The Minnesota Crookston men's basketball team opens up their NSIC home slate this weekend as they are set to take on Minnesota State University Moorhead Fri., Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m. The Golden Eagles will then take on Northern State University Sat., Dec. 8 at 5:30 p.m. The Wolves are coming off an appearance in the NCAA Division II Championship Game last season. The Golden Eagles are looking to turn the tide in both series. The Golden Eagles picked up a win over MSU Moorhead Feb. 10, 2018. The Dragons have won 11 of the last 12 in the series, while Northern State has claimed the last 12 tilts in the series. The last win for Minnesota Crookston over the Wolves came Feb. 4, 2012 in Crookston, Minn.

•  GREAT START. The Minnesota Crookston men's basketball team is off to their best start in program history with a 6-3 mark through the first nine games. The previous best starts for the Golden Eagles came during the 2010-11 season and the 2017-19 season where Minnesota Crookston opened up the season with a 5-4 mark. The Golden Eagles are looking to continue their hot start as they head into this weekend against MSU Moorhead and Northern State at Lysaker Gymnasium.

• CHASING GREATNESS. Harrison Cleary has had an incredible start to his career. The junior already has 1,506 career points for the Golden Eagles. Cleary needs 412 points to surpass Minnesota Crookston great Joe Hasz as the all-time leading scorer. In addition, Cleary is already 25th all-time in points in the NSIC. He has tallied 1,040 career points in conference play. Cleary needs just 17 points to move past a Bemidji State phenom who was a two-sport athlete in Lance Rongstad. Rongstad currently ranks 24th all-time in the NSIC with 1,056 points. Rongstad also was a quarterback for the Beaver football team. 

• CROWN JUHL. Minnesota Crookston sophomore guard Ben Juhl returned to the court last weekend against Bemidji State after missing the previous two games. Juhl had a major impact in the Bemidji State game as he notched a team-high 19 points on 8-of-17 from the field, and 2-of-5 from beyond the arc. Juhl has had a great start to his second season with the Golden Eagles. Juhl is averaging 12.7 points per game. He is shooting 41.7 percent from beyond the arc on the 2018-19 season.

• RECORD-CHASER. Gable Smith has already shattered the school's blocks mark with 252 career blocks. He is now attempting to get into the Top 10 for points, where he needs just 48 points to surpass Bilal Hill for 10th all-time. In addition, Smith just moved up to be in a tie for third all-time for steals with Akeem Cubie with 100 steals. He needs 30 steals to surpass Almir Krdzalic for second all-time.  Earlier this season, Smith became the school's all-time leading rebounder. He currently has 511 career rebounds. He is coming off one of his best games of the season with 13 points, four rebounds, two steals, and two blocks against Bemidji State.

• KNICKERBOCKER IS THE NAME. THREE POINTERS ARE MY GAME. Minnesota Crookston has welcomed back Chase Knickerbocker after the senior missed the last half of the 2017-18 season with an injury. Knickerbocker has been off to a great start for the Golden Eagles. The main area this has been seen is behind the three-point line where the Annandale, Minn., native is shooting 43.8 percent. Knickerbocker secured a career-high 29 points against University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras, including five three-pointers. The senior is averaging 13.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Golden Eagles. He has hit a team-high 27 treys on the season. Knickerbocker also currently sits on the all-time scoring charts, where he is ninth all-time with 705 points. Knickerbocker needs 43 points to surpass Ahmid Palmer for eighth all-time.

• LYSAKER MAGIC. The Golden Eagles have had great success at Lysaker Gymnasium in the last two seasons. Minnesota Crookston is 12-5 at Lysaker Gymnasium over the last two years. The Golden Eagles have already openedup the 2018-19 slate with a 3-0 mark at the friendly confines of Lysaker Gymnasium. Minnesota Crookston is looking to use their home-court advantage against MSU Moorhead and Northern State this weekend.

• DISH IT UP. In the spirit of the Holiday season, Harrison Cleary has been great dishing up goodies this year as he is coming off seven assists last weekend against Bemidji State. The Minnesota Crookston point guard is averaging 4.7 helpers this season. He has 42 overall assists on the 2018-19 season. Cleary is fourth all-time in assists in school history. The Oak Creek, Wis., native needs 60 assists to move past Joe Hasz for third all-time in helpers. 

• JUST JOSHING. No we aren't "joshing" you, in terms of joking, but Josh Collins is coming into his own as a player this season for the Golden Eagles after transferring from University of North Dakota mid-year during the 2017-18 season. Collins is averaging 8.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game this season. Collins notched 14 points and six rebounds last weekend against Bemidji State. Collins has secured four games with double-figure scoring this season. He will look to have a big weekend against MSU Moorhead and Northern State. 

• BACK TO DEFENSE.  The Golden Eagles will look to get back to strong defense this weekend as they host MSU Moorhead and Northern State. Defense has been key for the Golden Eagles this season as they are currently sixth in the NSIC in scoring defense. The Golden Eagles struggled defensively at times against Bemidji State as they uncharacteristically gave up 96 points in an overtime came with the Beavers. Minnesota Crookston has allowed just 64.1 points per game. Opponents are shooting just 40.0 percent from the field and 32.2 percent from beyond the arc.

Dragon Men's Basketball. The Dragons are sitting in a very similar spot to their counterpart for Friday evening, Minnesota Crookston. The Dragons come in with a 6-3 record, identical to the Golden Eagles. Their record in the NSIC is also the same, at 0-1. The Dragons fell to the Northern State Wolves last Saturday afternoon in Aberdeen, S.D., arguably one of the toughest places to play in all of Division II.

PARKS AND REC. Senior Addison Park is having a solid final season wearing the Dragons jersey. Park is averaging a team high 15.2 points per game, and 4.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 55 percent from the field. The senior from Sioux Falls, S.D. has scored 21 points on two separate occasions this season, one in a win at home against Minnesota Morris and a loss to Northern State.

BERGH'S BOARDS. Jesse Bergh, the freshman from Lake Park, Minn., has had a good start to his Dragon career. The former Raider is averaging over six rebounds a game including a career high 16 rebounds in a 21 point win for the Dragons over Mayville State.

FAMILIAR FACE.  Head Coach Dan Weisse comes up against his former employer Chad Walthall for the ninth  time this weekend as the two are very familiar with each other. Weisse is in his fifth season at Minnesota Crookston after serving as an assistant coach for Walthall at MSU Moorhead for three seasons. Weisse picked up his first win  over Walthall last season with an 89-73 win over the Dragons last season in Crookston. Weisse will look to continue that trend as the Golden Eagles face the Dragons Friday. 


Northern State Men's Basketball. The Wolves come into Crookston with a 5-2 record overall and a 1-0 record in NSIC play. The Wolves defeated Minnesota State University Moorhead 70-54 last Saturday in Aberdeen, S.D. The Wolves started off the season with a loss to #5 Northwest Missouri State 72-70 in overtime and a victory over #7 Queens University (N.C.) 87-74, in a rematch of last season's Final Four semifinal game in the NCAA Tournament, also won by the Wolves.

WOULD YOU LIKE FRIES WITH THAT? Senior guard Bo Fries is one of the many scoring options the Wolves have at their arsenal, but he might be the best three point shooter NSU has. Fries has made 11 threes on the season, which is second on the team. Fries connected on all three of his three point attempts in a 61-59 loss to Truman State in late November.

DO IT ALL. Ian Smith, a senior guard from Champlin Park, Minn., is a do-it-all player for Northern State. Smith leads the team in points per game (12.8), rebounds per game (7.0) and assists per game (5.0). Smith recorded a double-double in a four point victory over Truman State.

FOX SWATS. Parker Fox, a redshirt Freshman from Mohtomedi, Minn., is having no problem sending opponents shots away. Fox has 15 blocked shots on the season, through just seven games. Fox averages 2.0 blocks a game and has proven to be a force in the middle for the Wolves.

#5StoryLines

1. Can UMC get back to their defensive ways this weekend?

2. Can Harrison Cleary make a big impact this weekend against MSU Moorhead and Northern State?

3. Can the Golden Eagles limit do-it-all player Ian Smith for Northern State?

4. Can Minnesota Crookston force the MSU Moorhead freshmen to play like
 freshmen?

5. Who off the bench will have a positive impact for the Golden Eagles?

Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Dan Weisse
Record at UMC: 34-87 Season at UMC: Fifth Season

MSU Moorhead Dragons
Head Coach: Chad Walthall
Record at MSUM: 116-27 Season at MSUM: Ninth Season

Northern State Wolves
Head Coach: Paul Sather
Record at NSU: 162-82 Season at NSU: Ninth Season

MSU Moorhead at Minnesota Crookston
Date: Fri., Dec. 7
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/crk/#liveEventsTab
Live Stats: https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Series Record: MSU Moorhead leads 32-6
Last Meeting: Feb. 10, 2018 in Crookston, Minn., Minnesota Crookston won 89-73
Trends: MSU Moorhead has won 11 of the last 12
Northern State at Minnesota Crookston
Date: Sat., Dec. 8
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/crk/#liveEventsTab
Live Stats: https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Series Record: Northern State leads 35-2
Last Meeting: Feb. 9, 2018 in Crookston, Minn., Northern State won 81-50
Trends: Northern State has won the last 12 games
Radio: 1260 KROX AM/105.7 FM, www.kroxam.com, on the KROX app, or on Amazon Alexa

Minnesota Crookston
Projected Starters
Jr. PG 0 Harrison Cleary (6-1 180, Oak Creek, Wis.) 18.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 4.7 APG
So. G 2 Ben Juhl (6-1 186, Clive, Iowa) 12.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2.1 APG
Sr. SF 25 Chase Knickerbocker (6-7 210, Annandale, Minn.) 13.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG
Sr. PF 30 Josh Collins (6-6 230, Minneapolis, Minn.) 8.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG
R-Sr. C 24 Gable Smith (6-7 225, Lodi, Wis.) 4.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 2.5 BPG
Top Bench Players
R-Fr. G/F 14 Brian Sitzmann  6.2 PPG, 2.2 APG
R-Jr. G/F 12 Malcolm Cohen (6-6 210, Detroit, Mich.) 7.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG
Sr. G 13 Darin Viken (6-1 200, Fosston, Minn.) 4.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG
R-So. F 21 Chase Johnson (6-8 240, La Crosse, Wis.) 3.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG

MSU Moorhead
Projected Starters
R-Fr. PG 2 Bryce Irsfeld (6-0, Browerville, Minn.) 11.9 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 3.9 APG
Jr. SG 1 Johnny Beeninga (6-1, Maple Grove, Minn.) 10.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG
R-Fr. 3G 13 Gavin Baumgartner (6-4, Plymouth, Minn.) 13.6 PPG 4.2 RPG
Sr. SF 41 Addison Park (6-6, Sioux Falls, S.D.) 15.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG
R-Fr. PF 35 Jesse Bergh (6-10, Audubon, Minn.) 6.1 PPG, 6.7 RPG
Top Bench Players
Sr. G 5 Travaun Coad (6-1, Reading, Pa.) 13.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG
R-Fr. G 11 Siman Sem (6-4, Fargo, N.D.) 3.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG
Fr. F 12 Wyatt Hanson (6-5, Stanley, N.D.) 4.6 PPG, 2.9 RPG
Sr. F 25 Jake Johnson (6-8, Oak Grove, Minn.) 6.0 PPG, 1.9 RPG
Sr. G 15 Briton Bussman (6-4, Milnot, N.D.) 4.4 PPG, 1.6 RPG

Northern State
Projected Starters
R-Sr. PG 0 Ian Smith (5-10, Champlin Park, Minn.) 12.4 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 5.6 APG
So. SG 3 Andrew Kallman (6-4, Chaska, Minn.) 6.4 PPG, 1.7 RPG
Jr. 3G 21 Gabe King (6-5, Irene, S.D.) 8.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG
Sr. SF 15 Bo Fries (6-4, Langford, S.D.) 8.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG
Sr. PF 23 Justin Decker (6-7, Huron, S.D.) 11.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG
Top Bench Players
R-Fr. F 24 Parker Fox (6-8, Mahtomedi, Minn.) 10.3 PPG, 5.6 RPG
R-Fr. G 2 Mason Stark (6-2, Chandler, Ariz.) 6.5 PPG, 1.8 RPG
Jr. F 33 Cole Dahl (6-7, Newfolden, Minn.) 4.7 PPG, 1.7 RPG
So. G 10 Roko Dominovic (6-4, Split, Croatia) 2.7 PPG, 1.0 RPG