• The Minnesota Crookston women's basketball team hits the road this weekend for a pair of games as they take on Northern State University Fri., Jan. 11 at 5:30 p.m., and Minnesota State University Moorhead Sat., Jan. 12 at 3:30 p.m. The Golden Eagles are looking for the season sweep of Northern State, and a season split with the Dragons. Minnesota Crookston is currently in fifth place in the NSIC North with a 4-4 conference mark. The Golden Eagles are one game back of St. Cloud State University entering the weekend.

•  GREAT START. The Minnesota Crookston women's basketball team continues to be off to their best start since the 2015-16 season with a 9-5 mark. The Golden Eagles started the 2015-16 campaign with an 11-3 mark, and went on to a school-record 18-10 mark. Minnesota Crookston is looking to continue their great start as they face Northern State and MSU Moorhead this weekend.

• TRY AND SLOW HER DOWN. Isieoma Odor has been off to one of the best starts a Golden Eagle player has had in the history of the program. This is evidenced by her school-record four selections as NSIC North Player of the Week in just eight weeks. Odor is second in the conference with 18.6 points per tilt, and sixth in the league with 9.3 points per game. Odor is shooting 51.9 percent from the field, and 79.8 percent from the charity stripe. Odor recently surpassed Kari Score for fifth all-time on the all-time scoring charts. She needs 201 points to surpass her former teammate Alexa Thielman for fourth all-time in scoring. In addition, Odor needs 29 rebounds to move past Laurie Tyson for second all-time, and 31 boards to surpass Katrina Nordick for the all-time rebound mark. Odor is also a former teammate to Nordick.

• FOX ON THE BLOCK. Minnesota Crookston center Bren Fox has continued to make herself known in recent games for the Golden Eagles. The newcomer has continued to come into her own, especially on the glass. In the last four games, she is averaging 6.0 points and 8.5 rebounds. The Norwood Young America, Minn., native was crucial on the offensive boards against University of Minnesota Duluth as she notched five offensive rebounds. Fox is averaging 2.9 points and 4.6 rebounds on the season. She hs started five games this year, including the last four. Her first start of her career game in the first meeting of the season against Northern State.

• THE I IS SILENT. The i might be silent in Caitlin Michaelis' last name, but she has been anything but silent this year. The 5-8 senior comes into Friday averaging 13.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. Michaelis leads the NSIC by shooting 93.5 percent from the charity stripe. In addition, she is hitting at a 34.1 percent clip from beyond the arc. Michaelis had a season-high on two occasions this year with 19 points against Valley City State University, and Western Washington University. She had 10 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer in last Saturday's win over Minnesota Duluth.

• OAK CREEK STRONG. Minnesota Crookston has quite the connection to Oak Creek, Wis., with men's basketball player Harrison Cleary, beind an Oak Creek-product along with football players Malic Selimi and Tyler Surma. Paige Cornale has added to that pipeline, and she is coming on strong in recent games. Cornale is notching 6.0 points per game in the last three for Minnesota Crookston off the bench. She has showcased her ability to get to the lane, and has also shot 57.1 percent from beyond the arc on the season. Cornale had a career-high 11 points earlier this year against Saint Martin's University. She will look to be a factor for the Golden Eagles this weekend.

• BREAKING OUT OF THE ROAD WOES. Minnesota Crookston has struggled on the road historically. The Golden Eagles have had some success this season away from Lysaker Gymnasium as they are 3-3. Last season, the only conference road win for the Golden Eagles came Dec. 16 over Bemidji State University. During the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons, Minnesota 
Crookston did not pick up a conference road victory. The 2014-15 campaign saw the Golden Eagles defeat Wayne State College Dec. 12 in Wayne, Neb. 

• PRASKA ON THE PROWL. Former Thief River Falls Prowler Kylea Praska continues to come into her own as a freshman for Minnesota Crookston. Praska is coming off six points off the bench in a win over Minnesota Duluth, including going 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. Praska is notching 3.3 points per game on the season. She has been deadly from beyond the arc, where she is hitting at a 42.3 percent clip. Praska's career-high came with 11 points against Augustana University Dec. 15.

• DEFENSE DEFENSE DEFENSE.  The defense was key in Minnesota Crookston's win last Saturday over Minnesota Duluth. The Golden Eagles limited Minnesota Duluth to 61 points in the win. Minnesota Crookston is 8-1 when holding their opponents under 70 points this season. The Golden Eagles are holding teams to 68.6 points per game this season. Minnesota Crookston is limiting their opponents to just 30.5 percent from beyond the arc on the year.

•  DEAR ABBY.  Abby Guidinger continues to make the next step for the Golden Eagles as a sophomore. She is a versatile player who has been an important part of the puzzle this year. Guidinger averaged 8.5 points last weekend for the Golden Eagles, including coming off the bench for 10 points against St. Cloud State University. Guidinger is notching 8.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game on the season. She will look to have a major impact this weekend.

•  ON THE ROAD.  The Golden Eagles are 4-3 in games away from Lysaker Gymnasium this season. Thus far, Minnesota Crookston has just one conference road win, and that came Dec. 1 with a 70-61 victory over Bemidji State University. The Golden Eagles will look to improve their road mark against Northern State and MSU Moorhead this weekend.

Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Mike Roysland
Record at UMC: 122-218 Season at UMC: 13th Season

Northern State Wolves
Head Coach: Paula Krueger
Record at NSU: 6-8 Season at NSU: First Season

MSU Moorhead DRAGONS
Head Coach: Karla Nelson
Record at MSUM: 332-188 Season at MSUM: 19th Season

Minnesota Crookston at Northern State
Date: Fri., Jan. 11
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/northern/
Live Stats: https://nsuwolves.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Series Record: Northern State leads 32-8
Last Meeting: Minnesota Crookston won 61-54 over Northern State 
Dec. 8, 2018
Trends: Minnesota Crookston won the last game in the series
Officials: Dave Klundt, Ryan Weiser, and Glenn Roll
Radio: 1260 KROX AM/105.7 FM, www.kroxam.com, and on the app

Minnesota Crookston at MSU Moorhead
Date: Sat., Jan. 12
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/msum/index.htm
Live Stats: http://web.mnstate.edu/livestats/basketball/xlive.htm
Series Record: MSU Moorhead leads 32-7
Last Meeting: MSU Moorhead won 76-60 in Crookston, Minn. 
Dec. 7, 2018
Trends: MSU Moorhead has won 4 of the last 5
Officials: Kelly Ternes, Michael Kolness, Andy Dumas
Radio: 1260 KROX AM/105.7 FM, www.kroxam.com, and on the app

Minnesota Crookston
Projected Starters
Fr. PG 5 Kylie Post (5-7, Corcoran, Minn.)   9.6 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.3 APG
Sr. SG 3 Caitlin Michaelis (5-8, Marshfield, Wis.) 13.4 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.1 APG
Jr. 3G 32 Paige Weakley (5-9, Kearney, Mo.) 4.7 PPG, 2.4 RPG
R-Sr. SF 15 Isieoma Odor (6-0, Bloomington, Minn.) 18.6 PPG, 9.3 RPG
Fr. PF 23 Bren Fox (6-3, Norwood Young America, Minn.) 2.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG
Top Bench Players
So. G/F 12 Abby Guidinger (5-10, Waukesha, Wis.) 8.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG
Jr. G 4 Stephanie McWilliams (5-8, Grand Forks, N.D.) 3.2 PPG, 2.5 RPG
Fr. G 11 Kylea Praska (5-8, Thief River Falls, Minn.) 3.3 PPG, 1.3 RPG
So. G/F 10 Ashley Freund (5-11, Jordan, Minn.) 1.2 PPG, 1.3 RPG

Northern State
Projected Starters
Sr. PG 14 Tori Mekash (5-6, Greenbush, Minn.) 4.9 PPG, 1.6 RPG
SG 32 Brianna Kusler (5-9, Aberdeen, S.D.) 12.3 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 2.7 APG
3G 10 Brooke Luitjens (5-9, Sioux Falls, S.D.) 5.7 PPG, 2.6 RPG
SF 4 Lexi Wadsworth (5-11, Hayti, S.D.) 10.2 PPG, 6.0 RPG
PF 41 Anika Fredrick (6-0, Buffalo, Minn.) 6.6 PPG, 3.3 RPG
Top Bench Players
So. C 52 Alayna Johnson (6-1, Dassel, Minn.) 6.8 PPG, 2.7 RPG
Jr. G 34 Jessie Marti (5-10, Cuba City, Wis.) 6.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG
So. F 24 Joie Spier (5-11, Madison, S.D.) 2.2 PPG, 2.4 RPG
So. G 12 Kendall Kohler (5-6, Alexandria, Minn.) 1.6 PPG, 1.0 RPG

MSU Moorhead
Projected Starters
Sr. PG 12 Jacky Volkert (5-7, Arden Hills, Minn.) 11.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 4.3 APG
So. SG 24 Kiley Borowicz (5-8, Roseau, Minn.) 14.0 PPG, 4.2 RPG
So. 3G 10 Lauren Fech (5-8, Wausau, Wis.) 3.6 PPG, 1.9 RPG
Jr. SF 40 Madi Green (6-2, Lake City, Minn.) 6.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG
Jr. PF 51 Megan Hintz (6-2, Rochester, Minn.) 13.1 PPG, 10.6 RPG
Top Bench Players
R-Fr. F/C 30 Peyton Boom (6-0, Barnesville, Minn.) 7.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG
So. F 35 Brooklyn Liegel (6-2, Richland Center, Wis.) 3.3 PPG, 1.7 RPG
Fr. G 2 Natalie Steichen (5-5, Dilworth, Minn.) 2.8 PPG, 1.4 RPG

NORTHERN STATE WOLVES. Northern State comes into this weekend with a 6-8 record overall and 3-5 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The Wolves are coming off a split with a weekend road trip. NSU defeated Upper Iowa 61-42 last Friday night and fell to Winona State 56-37 to wrap up their two-game hiatus away from Wachs Arena. As a team, NSU averages 59.4 PPG, while allowing 59.0 PPG defensively. The Wolves shoot 40 percent from the field and 33 percent from beyond the three-point line.

MEKASH ONLY PLEASE. Tori Mekash, the senior forward from Greenbush, Minn., is enjoying a solid season shooting the basketball from behind the arc. Mekash is in her second season in Aberdeen and is second on the team in makes from the three-point line and is shooting 40 percent from the three-point line.

WADSWORTHS WORLD. Freshman Forward Lexi Wadsworth is having an impressive start to her career in a Wolves uniform. She is one of two players to average double-figures in scoring on the year, scoring 10.4 PPG, as well as averaging 6.0 RPG on the season. The last time the Golden Eagles and Wolves met, Wadsworth scored a team-high 18 points in the 61-54 Minnesota Crookston victory.

WACHS IS WILD. Northern State has averaged the highest attendance in NCAA Division II for the past nine years. It's as difficult place to play there is in all of Division II athletics. The Golden Eagles have won just three times in Aberdeen and Wachs Arena since 2007-08.

MSU MOORHEAD. The Dragons come into Saturday's matchup with the Golden Eagles as one of the hottest teams in the conference and maybe the nation. The Dragon last defeat was at the hands of Northern Michigan University, 61-54. Since that game, head coach Karla Nelson has seen her team win 10 in a row, including eight inside the NSIC. MSUM is undefeated at home this season. The Dragons have won games by an average of 11.5 games this season, while shooting 40 percent from the field, but just shooting 28.6 percent from the field. MSUM sits at 12-2 overall and 8-0 in NSIC play.

SOPHOMORE STAR. Kiley Borowicz, a sophomore out of Roseau, Minn., is having a breakout second season for the Dragons. Borowicz is averaging a team high 14 PPG this season while shooting 36.3 percent from the field. Borowicz scored a season-high 27 points in a 90-65 over Minot State.

RUNNING THE POINT. Senior guard Jacky Volkert has done almost everything well this season for MSUM. Volkert is averaging 11.6 PPG overall this season, and over 14 PPG in conference play. Volkert is also averaging 4.3 APG in her final season as a Dragon. Volkert scored 12 points and added two assists the last time these two teams met, which was a 76-60 victory for MSU Moorhead.

HINTZ IS A BRAND OF GLASS CLEANER RIGHT? Junior forward Megan Hintz is averaging a double-double on the season at 13.1 PPG and 10.6 RPG. Hintz has been the leading rebounder for her team in all but one game this season and had a season high 17 rebounds in the Dragon win in Crookston on 12/8/18.

#5StoryLines

1. Can Isy Odor continue her great play in the post?

2. What freshman or freshmen will step up and have a big weekend for the Golden Eagles?

3. Can the Golden Eagles control Kiley Borowicz and Megan Hintz for the Dragons?

4. Can the Golden Eagles hold both teams under 70 points?

5. Can Minnesota Crookston sweep Northern State?