BISMARCK, N.D. – The University of Minnesota Crookston men's basketball team fell in their regular-season finale 80-70 to University o Mary. A half-court heave from Jaylan White as time expired in the first half put U-Mary up 30-29 at the break. The Marauders took all the momentum, as the Golden Eagles did not lead the rest of the way with U-Mary out-scoring Minnesota Crookston 50-41 in the final half.

The Golden Eagles end the season with a 10-18 (7-5 NSIC) mark. The record is still the best in school history for Minnesota Crookston as 10 wins is their school record in the NCAA Division II era. The Golden Eagles will be the No. 6 seed in the NSIC North. They will travel to face No. 3 seed in the NSIC South University of Sioux Falls at 8 p.m. Wed., Feb. 21. U-Mary sweeps the season series against the Minnesota Crookston. The Marauders ends the regular season with a 6-20 (4-18 NSIC) record.

Minnesota Crookston has struggled away from Lysaker Gymnasium this season as they have just one road win at Bemidji State University compared to 13 losses away from their friendly confines.

The Golden Eagles looked to Alan Hodge, Jr. (Jr., G, Dallas, Texas) with 24 points on 9-of-19 from the field and 3-of-10 from beyond the arc. Ben Juhl (Fr., G, Clive, Iowa) fell one point short of his career high with 20 points on 6-of-13 from the field. Harrison Cleary (So., G, Oak Creek, Wis.) was slowed down defensively as he had just 10 points on 4-of-10 from the field. Gable Smith (R-Jr., F/C, Lodi, Wis.) added eight points, seven rebounds and four blocks. Darin Viken (Jr., G, Fosston, Minn.) added six points.

Minnesota Crookston shot 24-of-57 from the field for 42.1 percent. The Golden Eagles were 7-of-23 for 30.4 percent from beyond the arc and 15-of-18 for 83.3 percent from the charity stripe. The Golden Eagles finished the night with 11 turnovers to just nine assists. They were out-rebounded by U-Mary 33-30.
The Marauders were propelled by 21 points from Trevor Zacher on 8-of-13 from the field. White added 16 points and eight assists. Michael Gorder chipped in 12 points and seven boards, while Connor Hellebust had 12 points on 4-of-7 from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.

U-Mary was just 25-of-52 from the field for 48.1 percent. The Marauders were 11-of-25 for 44.0 percent from behind the three-point line and 19-of-24 for 79.2 percent from the foul line.

Minnesota Crookston used jumpers from Cleary and Juhl to open the game with a 4-0 lead. The Marauders pulled within 4-3 as Connor Hellebust hit a triple. The Golden Eagles moved their lead back out to 7-3 when Juhl drained a trey. U-Mary countered with a 4-0 as a Gorder bucket knotted the game up 7-7. Minnesota Crookston took the lead back 9-7 with a Cleary basket. The Marauders came back with back-to-back triples from Zacher to reclaim the lead 13-9. U-Mary moved their lead out to 16-11 with a Wyatt Carr trey. The Golden Eagles came back within 16-14 when Hodge nailed a trey with 12:09 left in the first half. The Marauders came back with a Gorder jumper to move the advantage to 18-14. Minnesota Crookston responded with a 10-1 run stamped by a Smith dunk off an alley-oop as the Golden Eagles took the 24-19 lead. Hodge also had back-to-back treys during the run. An Evan Anderson three-pointer snapped the run for Minnesota Crookston and brought the Marauders back within 24-22. Matthew Kreklow hit a free throw to cut the deficit to 24-23. Juhl stopped the quick 4-0 run with a jumper to extend the lead for the Golden Eagles out to 26-23. However, the Marauders came back on the next possession with a Hellebust triple as they knotted the game up 26-26. Hellebust was fouled on the next trip down the court and hit 1-of-2 to move the lead to 27-26. The Golden Eagles reclaimed the lead 29-27 as Juhl drained a three. As time expired, Jaylan White heaved the ball from three-quarters court and the ball went in as U-Mary took the lead 30-29 going into the locker room.
Hodge led the Golden Eagles with 11 points on 4-of-10 from the field. Juhl chipped in 10 points on 4-of-8 from the field, while Cleary added six points. Smith had three blocks in the first half.

The Marauders were able to ride the momentum from White's shot out of the break as they opened the second half on a 5-0 run moving the lead to 35-29. Smith used an old-fashioned three-point play to pull the Golden Eagles within 35-32. After a defensive stop, a pair of Juhl free throws brought Minnesota Crookston within 35-34. U-Mary staved off the run with a 6-0 rally of their own to move the advantage to 41-34. Back-to-back jumpers from Hodge brought Minnesota Crookston within 41-38 with 15:21 remaining. White guided an 8-2 run as the Marauders moved their lead to 49-40. A Carr jumper extended the U-Mary lead to 51-42. Baskets from Juhl and Josh Collins (Jr., F, Minneapolis, Minn.) cut the lead to 52-46 with 8:22 left in the game. The Marauders countered again with a 9-3 run as they extended their lead to 61-49. Viken broke the run with a trey for the Golden Eagles to pull back within 61-52. U-Mary countered on the other end with a White trey to extend the advantage to 64-52. Minnesota Crookston used a 6-0 run as they cut the lead to 64-58 with 3:19 left in the game. U-Mary responded with a 6-3 run as they moved their advantage back out to 70-61. The Golden Eagles would not be able to make up the ground down the stretch as they fell 80-70 to the Marauders.

Minnesota Crookston will take on Sioux Falls Wed., Feb. 21 at 8 p.m. in Sioux Falls, S.D. The meeting will be the third of the season between the two teams. The Golden Eagles beat USF in non-conference play at home and lost on the road. This will be the second time the two squad have played in Sioux Falls, S.D.