Golden Eagles Return Home to Host No. 21 Augustana, Wayne State College


•  The Minnesota Crookston men's basketball is sitting in a three-way tie for second place in the NSIC North, just a game behind Minnesota Duluth, who is 3-0 in the conference and 8-1 overall. Minnesota Crookston extended their winning streak on Friday night to four games, after a wild, 68-65 win over MSU Moorhead. The Golden Eagles scored the final seven points after trailing by four with 1:49 left in the game. It was the first win in Moorhead for the Golden Eagles since February of 2009. The Golden Eagles split with MSU Moorhead and Northern State this past weekend and they will look to keep pace in the NSIC North. Minnesota Crookston is back at home, where they are 2-0 this season, welcoming in Augustana and Wayne State.

•  FOUR YEARS. Harrison Cleary finished Friday night's game with his third highest scoring output of the season, 33 points. Naturally, everyone inside Nemzek Hall expected the Oak Creek, Wis., native to take the final shot with the game tied at 65. Everyone inside Nemzek Hall was wrong. Instead, it was the junior college transfer Ibu Jassey Demba who took and hit arguably the biggest shot of his career and in turn, gave the Golden Eagles their biggest win in program history, a 68-65 triumph over the Dragons. It gave Minnesota Crookston their first win in Moorhead since 2009. Jassey Demba's corner three was the Golden Eagles first shot made inside the final five seconds to get the Golden Eagles a win in four years. Derrick Redd Jr., made a layup in the final seconds on Feb. 6, 2015 at home against Sioux Falls, which sent the game to overtime, which Minnesota Crookston eventually won. At that time in 2015, the Golden Eagles had the same amount of wins (6) in 20 games, then they do in 2019 through just nine games. It seems like Jassey Demba has found a home in Northern Minnesota.
 
•  QUICK START. One of the things lost in the Golden Eagles three-point, last second win over MSU Moorhead was what happened in the first two minutes. The Golden Eagles started the game on a 7-0 run, led by Cleary, who had all seven points. That was Minnesota Crookston's largest run to start off the game of the season. Minnesota Crookston had a 6-0 run against Waldorf in the first few minutes earlier this season.

•  NEMZEK MADNESS. Maybe more impressive than the start for the Golden Eagles, was the finish. Minnesota Crookston trailed by four until the Nation's second leading scorer took over and scored or assisted on the final seven points, which helped the Golden Eagles steal a huge game in Nemzek Fieldhouse. Chase Johnson also took two huge charges in the final two minutes, which turned into five Golden Eagle points.

•  NEW HOME. It took a little bit for junior college transfer Ibu Jassey Demba to settle in at his new home in Minnesota Crookston. In his previous four games, Jassey Demba is averaging 6.2 points per game, including a career-high nine points in the 29-point win over Waldorf. Jassey Demba hit the biggest shot of his young Golden Eagle career last Friday night against MSU Moorhead, burying a corner three with 1.3 seconds left to give the Golden Eagles a huge win. It was just the third made three-point make of the season for the Birmingham, England native, but there is no doubt that it was the biggest of the three.

•  MILLER MANIA. Freshman Reed Miller has been a key component for Head Coach Dan Weisse and the Golden Eagles. Miller has played in all nine games on the season, including one start. The Appleton, Wis., native is averaging 17.1 minutes per game and is shooting 11/22 from beyond the arc, good for 50 percent. All of Miller's made field goals has been from behind the three-point line. Miller scored six points on Friday night, all from behind the arc and has been a key player off the bench for the Golden Eagles.

•  TAKING CHARGE. Chase Johnson had one of his best games in a Golden Eagle uniform last Friday night in the 68-65 victory over the Dragons. Johnson finished with eight points on 4-6 shooting from the field, which tied his season-high for field goals made. Johnson also pulled down seven rebounds, which is also tied for his season-high. Although Johnson had just one steal on Friday night, he came up huge in the final minutes, drawing two charges in the final five minutes, which helped the Golden Eagles pick up one of the biggest wins in program history.

•  A GIFT FROM COHEN. In Friday night's win over the Dragons, the Golden Eagles had just two players in double-figures, Cleary and Malcolm Cohen. The lefty from Detroit, Mich., has been playing his best basketball of his senior season the past two weeks. The 15 points against MSU Moorhead extended Cohen's streak to four-straight games with 10 or more points, which ended on Saturday night against Northern State, where Cohen scored just five points. Minnesota Crookston will look to get the dominant Cohen this weekend.

•  DEJA VU. The Golden Eagles made history last season, becoming the first team in program history to advance past the NSIC first round. The Golden Eagles defeated Augustana 87-72 in the NSIC first round, making 18 three's, which is tied for the school record. This season, the Golden Eagles will hope for much of the same this weekend when the Golden Eagles look to make it two wins in a row over perennial NSIC power Augustana inside Lysaker Gymnasium.

"Look Good, Play Good"
White Jersey: 4-1
Black Jersey: 2-2 

2019-20 NSIC Rankings
Scoring Offense: 8th
Scoring Defense: 11th
Scoring Margin: 12th
Free Throw Pct.: 2nd
Field Goal Pct.: 12th
Field Goal Pct. Defense: 14th
3-Point Field Goal Pct.: 6th
3-Point Field Goal Pct. Defense: 16th
Rebounding Offense: 16th
Rebounding Defense: 13th
Rebounding Margin: 14th
Offensive Rebounds: 15th
Defensive Rebounds: 16th
Blocked Shots: 9th
Assists: 16th
Steals: 11th
Turnover Margin: 3rd
Assist/Turnover Ratio: 10th


Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Dan Weisse
Record at UMC: 51-101 Season at UMC: Sixth Season

No. 21 Augustana Vikings
Head Coach:  Tom Billeter
Record at AU: 313-178 Season at AU: 17th Season (22nd Overall)

Wayne State Wildcats
Head Coach: Jeff Kaminsky
Record at WSC: 50-51 Season at WSC: Fourth Season (32nd Overall)

Augustana University at Minnesota Crookston
Date: Fri., Dec. 13
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/crk/
Live Stats: https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Radio: KROX 105.7 FM/1260 AM
Series Record: Since 2010, the Vikings have won 10 out of 12 meetings against Minnesota Crookston
Last Meeting: The Golden Eagles shocked the Vikings, 87-72 in the first round of the NSIC Quarterfinals a season ago.
Trends: These two teams have split the previous two meetings. 

Wayne State College at Minnesota Crookston
Date: Sat., Dec. 14
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/crk/
Live Stats: https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Radio: KROX 105.7 FM/1260 AM
Series Record: Since 2007, WSC leads the series, 5-3
Last Meeting: Wayne State defeated the Golden Eagles 72-52 last season in Wayne, Neb.
Trends: These two teams have split the previous two meetings.

Weekly Snapshot
Minnesota Crookston
Projected Starters
Sr. PG 0 Harrison Cleary (6-1 180, Oak Creek, Wis.) 27.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 4.3 APG
RSo. SG 14 Brian Sitzmann (6-4 192, Savage, Minn.) 10.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG
RSr. SF 12 Malcolm Cohen (6-6 210, Detroit, Mich.) 10.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG
Jr. PF 10 Ibu Jassey Demba (6-7 200, Birmingham, England) 3.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG
Sr. F/C 44 Javier Nicolau (6-10 220, Castellon, Spain) 7.0 PPG, 5.3 RPG
Top Bench Players
Fr. F 20 Reed Miller (6-6 205, Appleton, Wis.) 4.0 PPG, 1.8 RPG
Fr. G 13 Tyrese Shines (6-3 190, La Grange, Ill.) 2.7 PPG, 1.7 RPG
R-So. F 21 Chase Johnson (6-8 240, La Crosse, Wis.) 3.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG
R-So. G/F 25 Zac Olson (6-5 225, Waterville, Minn.) 1.2 PPG

Augustana
Projected Starters
So. G 1 Dylan LeBrun (6-6 190, Flandreau, S.D.) 8.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG
So. G 5 Matt Todd (6-1 165, Monticello, Minn.) 12.0 PPG, 2.8 RPG
Jr. G 23 Matt Cartwright (6-4 180, Sioux Falls, S.D.) 16.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 21/21 FT's
So. F 24 Michael Schaefer (6-6 205, St. Cloud, Minn.) 11.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG
Jr. F 25 Tyler Riemersma (6-8 215, Bloomington, Minn.) 12.2 PPG, 9.6 RPG
Top Bench Players
Jr. G 10 Jameson Bryan (5-10 160, Apple Valley, Minn.) 4.9 PPG, 1.6 RPG
Fr. G 21 Isaac Fink (6-4 195, Springfield, Minn.) 4.3 PPG, 2.7 RPG
So. F 34 Trevor Hanson (6-8 225, Volga, S.D.) 4.7 PPG, 2.4 RPG
Jr. F 35 Adam Dykman (6-7 225, Fremont, Neb.) 9.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG

Wayne State
Projected Starters
So. G 3 Nick Ferrarini (6-5 190, Omaha, Neb.) 14.6 PPG, 2.4 RPG
Sr. G 4 Al'Tavius Jackson (6-2 175, Atlanta, Ga.) 11.0 PPG, 3.6 RPG
So. G 11 Nate Thayer (6-3 190, Springfield, Neb.) 4.8 PPG, 3.6 RPG
So. G 13 Nate Mohr (6-2 175, Glenwood, Iowa) 10.6 PPG, 2.3 RPG
So. F 32 Jordan Janssen (6-7 215, Lincoln, Neb.) 18.7 PPG, 11.8 RPG
Top Bench Players
Jr. F 20 Benjamin Dentlinger (6-7 225, New London, Iowa) 7.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG
So. F 33 Henry Penner (6-6 220, Aurora, Neb.) 4.9 PPG, 4.0 RPG


#Tidbits

AUGUSTANA. The Vikings have won eight out of their first nine games on the season for an 8-1 start. Augustana's only blemish came at the hands of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, when the Hardrockers upset Augustana 76-71. Since that loss, the Vikings have won five in a row, including three-straight NSIC wins. The last time the Vikings played the Golden Eagles, they were upset on their home floor, 87-72, in a game where the Golden Eagles drilled 18 three's in the first round of the NSIC Quarterfinals.

JUGGERNAUT. The Vikings are winning a lot of their games due to their offense. Augustana leads the entire conference in points per game at 85.6. The Vikings have scored more than 80 points in six of their eight wins this season, including a 110 point output against Buena Vista on Nov. 21. This is a team that can score the ball and will be a stiff test for the much improved Golden Eagles this Friday night.

THE WRIGHT WAY. Junior guard Matt Cartwright is emerging as a star for Tom Billiter and his squad. The Sioux Falls, S.D., native has been making his hometown school happy he decided to stay home. Cartwright leads his team with 16.1 points per game, while shooting 43 percent from the field, 35 percent from three and a perfect 21/21 from the free throw line. In his three career games against the Golden Eagles, Cartwright is averaging 19 points per game and scored a career-high 37 points in the regular season win for the Vikings over the Golden Eagles a season ago.

REGIONAL MANAGER, MICHAEL SCHAEFER. Sophomore forward Michael Schaefer is another underclassmen enjoying a great season for Augustana. Schaefer is one of four Vikings averaging in double-figures, scoring 11.6 points per game. The St. Cloud, Minn., native scored a season-high 18 points in a four point victory over Central Missouri earlier this season.

WAYNE STATE. The Wildcats are coming off of their best season since 2012-13. WSC finished last season 21-10 and advanced to the NSIC Semi-finals, before falling in overtime to Southwest Minnesota State. This season, the Wildcats started out the season 0-5, but have reeled off five wins in six games to come into Crookston this weekend with a 5-6 (2-1 NSIC) record.

DRIVING THE FARRARI(NI). Nick Ferrarini is second on his team with 14.6 points per game, while also leading the Wildcats in three-point makes (22) and three-point attempts (63). The sophomore guard from Omaha, Neb., has been on fire lately, scoring more than 10 points in six straight games, five of which has been wins for the Wildcats. When Ferrarini has the keys to the car, the Wildcats have been successful.

MOHR IS BETTER. The Wildcats have a dangerous combo in the backcourt with Ferrarini and Nate Mohr. The two sophomores have combined for 43 three-point makes this season, including Mohr's 21. The Glenwood, Iowa native is averaging 10.6 points per game on the season, including a 17-point output in the Wildcats first game of the season against No. 17 Ferris State.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE. Jordan Janssen is one of four players in the NSIC to average a double-double. Yet another standout sophomore for the Wildcats, Jannsen is fifth in the conference in scoring with 18.7 points per game and leads the conference with 11.8 rebounds per game.The Lincoln, Neb., native is coming off of a 21 rebound, 17 point output two games ago in a win over Upper Iowa and a 28 point, 14 rebound game in another win over Winona State.

#5STORYLINES  
1. Can the Golden Eagles continue to dominate inside of Lysaker Gymnasium?
2. How will Minnesota Crookston bounce back after a loss to Northern State?
3. First meeting between Minnesota Crookston and Augustana since NSIC Quarterfinals
4. Will Chase Johnson continue his strong play defensively?
5. Can Minnesota Crookston stay balanced offensively?