Golden Eagles Look to Continue Winning Ways at MSU Moorhead, Northern State


•  The Minnesota Crookston men's basketball team is hot. After a disappointing 22-point loss to Wisconsin-Parkside just over two weeks ago, the Golden Eagles have won three in a row, including a 94-69 victory over traditional NSIC power, Sioux Falls, which was a non-conference game. In the three game winning streak, the Golden Eagles have won by an average of 23.3 points per game, including a 29-point win over Waldorf and the 25-point victory over the Cougars. Minnesota Crookston will look to continue their winning ways at MSU Moorhead and Northern State this weekend. The Golden Eagles last win at Moorhead came in a 77-65 victory inside Nemzek Fieldhouse on Feb. 28, 2009. Akeem Cubie scored 26 points in the win for the Golden Eagles. Minnesota Crookston has never won at Northern State.

•  HISTORY. The three-game winning streak for the Golden Eagles has caught the attention of the Central Region. For the first time in school history, the Golden Eagles recieved a vote in the Central Region. This is the second straight season that the Golden Eagles have started 5-2. This season, the Golden Eagles have beaten four Division II teams. Last season through seven games, Minnesota Crookston beat only one Division II school. This weekend is giant for the Golden Eagles, who could gain even more respect with a successful weekend.
 
•  CHANGE THE NARRATIVE. The Golden Eagles have traditionally struggled on the road. So far this season, however, it's been so far, so good. The Golden Eagles already have the same amount of road wins (2) through seven games than they had all of last season. The Golden Eagles have two region road wins this season at Missouri Western State and Sioux Falls. A season ago, the Golden Eagles won two road games in 13 games. Since 2010, Minnesota Crookston has won three road games in a season just twice. The Golden Eagles will look to win two more games on the road this weekend, albeit in tough environments.

•  MAKING AN IMPACT. Redshirt sophomore Zac Olson has seen a lot in his brief college basketball career. Olson was a standout at Waterville-Elysian-Morristown H.S., where he holds the school record in points, rebounds and blocked shots. That standout high school career brought Olson to the University of Mary, to play for the Marauders. After his redshirt freshman season, Olson transferred to Lake Region State in Devils Lake, N.D. After one season for the Royals, Olson finds himself at the University of Minnesota Crookston. The 6-5 forward has started to make his way into the rotation for Head Coach Dan Weisse. Olson played a career-high 16 minutes in the win over Sioux Falls, while connecting on his first three-point attempt, which helped the Golden Eagles gain some seperation in the first half. Olson finished with three points. It's been a long journey for Olson, but he seems to have found a home at Minnesota Crookston.

•  PLAYER OF THE WEEK. That's the recognition that senior guard Harrison Cleary earned last week. In the wins over Bemidji State and Waldorf, Cleary averaged 27 points per game, 7.0 assists per game and 5.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 19-34 from the field, good for 56 percent. That two-game stretch earned the Oak Creek, Wis., native his sixth NSIC North Player of the Week honor during his Golden Eagle career. Cleary followed up his 25 point, 10 assist game against Waldorf with a 40 point, six assist game in the victory over Sioux Falls in the Stewart Center, which also garnered Cleary yet another NSIC North Player of the Week. Cleary ranks second in the nation in points per game (28.7), ninth in field goal attempts (130), eighth in field goals made (63) and ranks third in total points scored (201). If Cleary continues his scorching start to the season, this might not be the final time Cleary wins back-to-back Player of the Week awards. Cleary was also featured on the "NSIC Spotlight Radio Show", with hosts Nick Kornder and Kevin Fallness that aired earlier in the week.

•  STANDOUT SOPHOMORE. Redshirt sophomore Brian Sitzmann has had an outstanding season thus far. The Savage, Minn., native is averaging 13.1 points per game, making for a nice 1-2 punch to go along with his backcourt partner, Harrison Cleary. Sitzmann has scored in double-figures in all but one game this season, including scoring a career-high 20 points twice, including his last outing against Sioux Falls. Sitzmann scored 20 points on an efficient 7-11 shooting from the field, including 4-6 from deep. Sitzmann is also playing 33.6 minutes per game, which is way up from last year, when he played about 25.4 minutes per game.

•  BIG MEN. The Golden Eagles have solid depth in both their backcourt and their frontcourt. Through seven games, senior Javier Nicolau and redshirt junior Chase Johnson have been outstanding. The duo has averaged 11.6 points per game, led by Nicolau's 7.7 points per game. The duo is also averaging 10.6 rebounds on the season as well. Johnson is tied for third on the team with seven steals, while Nicolau leads the Golden Eagles with 10 blocks on the year. Ibu Jassey Demba has also made a huge impact in his first season as a Golden Eagle. The Birmingham, England native has started in six games and has made a big impact defensively with four blocks and four steals.

•  COHEN'S COOKING. After a bit of a slow start to his redshirt senior season, Detroit, Mich., native Malcolm Cohen has started to get things going offensively. The Motor City native has averaged 15.3 points per game in his last three games, all resulting in Golden Eagle victories. Cohen is also shooting the ball at a much better clip in his last three games, than his previous four. In the first four games for the Golden Eagles, the lefty was shooting at just a 25.7 percent clip. In the previous three games, Cohen has shot the ball at a much better clip of 48.5 percent.

•  WINNING STREAK. The Golden Eagles have won three-straight games to improve their record to 5-2. A season ago, the Golden Eagles' longest winning streak was five, but also had two stretches where they won three-straight in conference play, all coming at home. If the Golden Eagles are able to win both games this weekend in hostile territory, the Golden Eagles can tie the school watermark for wins in a row at five.


"Look Good, Play Good"
White Jersey: 4-0
Black Jersey: 1-2


2019-20 NSIC Rankings
Scoring Offense: 7th
Scoring Defense: 10th
Scoring Margin: 9th
Free Throw Pct.: 2nd
Field Goal Pct.: 9th
Field Goal Pct. Defense: 9th
3-Point Field Goal Pct.: 3rd
3-Point Field Goal Pct. Defense: 15th
Rebounding Offense: 16th
Rebounding Defense: 13th
Rebounding Margin: 16th
Offensive Rebounds: 16th
Defensive Rebounds: 14th
Blocked Shots: 5th
Assists: 15th
Steals: 8th
Turnover Margin: 2nd
Assist/Turnover Ratio: 8th


Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Dan Weisse
Record at UMC: 49-100 Season at UMC: Sixth Season


MSU Moorhead Dragons
Head Coach:  Chad Walthall
Record at MSUM: 195-93 Season at MSUM: 10th Season


Northern State Wolves
Head Coach: Saul Phillips
Record at Northern State: 4-3 (219-163 at NDSU, Ohio University) Season at NSU: First Season


Minnesota Crookston at MSU Moorhead
Date: Fri., Dec. 6
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/msum/index.htm
Live Stats: https://www.msumdragons.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
TV: WDAYXtra
Series Record: The Dragons lead the series 13-3 since 2010.
Last Meeting: MSUM won the last meeting 101-88 on Jan. 12, 2019.
Trends: The Golden Eagles will look to get their first win inside Nemzek Fieldhouse since Feb. 28, 2009, when they defeated MSUM 77-65.


Minnesota Crookston at Northern State
Date: Sat., Dec. 7
Time: 6 p.m.
Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/northern/
Live Stats: https://nsuwolves.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Series Record: Since 2011, the Wolves lead the series 15-1.
Last Meeting: Northern State won a thriller, 72-70 the last time these two teams met, which was also in Aberdeen, S.D.
Trends: The Golden Eagles have lost 10 in a row to the Wolves.


Weekly Snapshot
Minnesota Crookston
Projected Starters
Sr. PG 0 Harrison Cleary (6-1 180, Oak Creek, Wis.) 28.6 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 4.9 APG
RSo. SG 14 Brian Sitzmann (6-4 192, Savage, Minn.) 13.1 PPG, 2.9 RPG
RSr. SF 12 Malcolm Cohen (6-6 210, Detroit, Mich.) 10.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG
Fr. F 20 Reed Miller (6-6 205, Appleton, Wis.) 4.3 PPG, 1.6 RPG
Sr. F/C 44 Javier Nicolau (6-10 220, Castellon, Spain) 7.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG
Top Bench Players
Jr. PF 10 Ibu Jassey Demba (6-7 200, Birmingham, England) 2.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG
Fr. G 13 Tyrese Shines (6-3 190, La Grange, Ill.) 3.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG
R-So. F 21 Chase Johnson (6-8 240, La Crosse, Wis.) 3.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG
R-So. G/F 25 Zac Olson (6-5 225, Waterville, Minn.) 0.8 PPG

MSU Moorhead
Projected Starters
Sr. G 1 Johnny Beeninga (6-1, Maple Grove, Minn.) 8.6 PPG, 1.0 RPG
So. G 2 Bryce Irsfeld (6-0, Browerville, Minn.) 14.9 PPG, 2.6 RPG
So. G 12 Gavin Baumgartner (6-4, Plymouth, Minn.) 15.0 PPG, 4.6 RPG
Fr. F 24 Dane Zimmer (6-7, Minnetonka, Minn.) 9.4 PPG, 6.3 RPG
Jr. G 25 Kaedrick Williams (6-5, Grambling, La.) 6.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG
Top Bench Players
Fr. G 3 Nathan Rund (6-1, Fergus Falls, Minn.) 2.7 PPG, 1.3 RPG
So. G 10 Jake Mertens (6-3, Devils Lake, N.D.) 1.0 PPG
So. G 13 Siman Sem (6-4, Fargo, N.D.) 5.6 PPG, 5.7 RPG
So. F 20 Wyatt Hanson (6-5, Stanley, N.D.) 5.9 PPG, 3.4 RPG
Jr. F 32 Joe Sevlie (6-8, Red Wing, Minn.) 7.7 PPG, 4.6 RPG
Northern State
Projected Starters
Fr. G 1 Tommy Chatman (6-4 190, Brooklyn Park, Minn.) 9.7 PPG, 2.3 RPG
So. G 2 Mason Stark (6-2 160, Chandler, Ariz.) 14.0 PPG, 3.1 RPG
Jr. G 3 Andrew Kallman (6-4 175, Chaska, Minn.) 7.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG
Sr. G 21 Gabe King (6-5 185, Irene, S.D.) 11.6 PPG, 3.4 RPG
So. F 24 Parker Fox (6-8 210, Mahtomedi, Minn.) 18.9 PPG, 11.0 RPG
Top Bench Players
So. F 23 Jordan Belka (6-7 195, Rogers, Minn.) 4.4 PPG, 4.0 RPG
Sr. F 33 Cole Dahl (6-7 195, Newfolden, Minn.) 5.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG


#Tidbits

MSU MOORHEAD. MSUM is one of the traditional powers in the NSIC. The Dragons are in their 10th season under the direction of Chad Walthall, who has taken MSUM to unprecedented heights, including the schools first-ever Elite Eight run in 2014-15, eventually falling to Bellarmine, 92-75. The Dragons are off to a 5-2 (1-0 NSIC) start on the season, rattling off five-straight, including an impressive 81-74 over Northern State last Saturday in Moorhead.

PICK YOUR POISON. Through seven games, the Dragons have shown the ability to be balanced on offense. MSUM has four players averaging in double-figures, led by Gavin Baumgartner and Bryce Irsfeld, who are averaging 15.0 and 14.9 points per game. Freshman Dane Zimmer and senior Johnny Beeninga are third and fourth on the team in scoring with 9.4 and 8.6 points per game, respectively.

TAKE ME HOME, COUNTRY ROADS. Nemzek Fieldhouse has been awfully kind to the hometown squad. MSUM is 5-0 inside of Nemsek Fieldhouse this season. Since Walthall took over the Dragons program in 2010, his squads are an astounding 103-30 in the firendly confines of Nemzek Fieldhouse, including going 15-0 at home in 2014-15. Home-court advantage is real for the Dragons.

BAYOU TO MOORHEAD. LSU Eunice transfer Kaedrick Williams has had an immediate impact for the Dragons this season. The junior from Grambling, La., has started in six games this season and has averaged 6.9 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game, while also being one of the primary ballhandlers for his team. Williams had a career-high 12 points in a win over Mayville State on Nov. 22.

NORTHERN STATE. Saul Phillips is in his first year as Head Coach of the Wolves, taking over for Paul Sather, who took the Head Coaching job at the University of North Dakota. Northern State is the third college Phillips has been at, previously having stints at North Dakota State and Ohio University, In Phillips' first season, the Wolves are 4-3 (0-1 NSIC) and are coming off a loss at MSU Moorhead.

STROLL IN THE PARK(ER). Parker Fox is off to an outstanding start this season for the Wolves. Fox has scored in double-figures in every game this season, including a season-high 28 points in a win over Colorado State-Pueblo on Nov. 22. The redshirt sophomore from Mahtomedi, Minn., is averaging 18.9 points per game and 11.0 rebounds per game on the season.

CROWN THE KING. The Wolves currently have three players averaging double-figures for points. One of those players is senior Gabe King. The 6-5 guard from Irene, S.D., is averaging 11.6 points per game and 3.4 rebounds per game, while starting all seven games for NSU. King scored a season-high 18 points on 7-11 shooting in the seven point loss to the Dragons last Saturday evening.

BIG SHOES TO FILL. Ian Smith ran the show for the Wolves for a long time. In fact, Smith started in all 40 games for a Wolves team who made the National Championship two seasons ago, falling to Ferris State in Sioux Falls, S.D. Smith graduated and left Northern State with giant shoes to fill at the point guard position. Freshman Tommy Chatman has taken on the challenge. The Brooklyn Park, Minn., native has started in all seven games, averaging 9.7 points per game and has scored exactly 10 points in each of the last three games for NSU. So far, Chatman has given Wolves fans a glimpse of the future and so far, it seems to be bright.


#5STORYLINES
1. Can Minnesota Crookston win on the road?

2. How will the youngsters handle their first conference road test?

3. Will Malcolm Cohen continue to shoot the ball well from deep?

4. Will Northern State continue to be a thorn in the side of Minnesota Crookston?

5. How will the Golden Eagles shoot the ball from deep?