CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston men's basketball team came out of the gate strong and didn't look back in a dominant 94-61 rout of Minnesota State University Moorhead Sat., Jan. 11 at Lysaker Gymnasium. The win marks the first sweep of the perennial power Dragons, who have four NSIC North Championships in the last nine seasons.

The Golden Eagles move to 8-8 (4-6 NSIC) with Saturday's win, sitting just a game behind MSU Moorhead and Bemidji State University. The Dragons and Beavers are currently tied for fourth in the NSIC North. MSU Moorhead falls to 9-7 (5-5 NSIC) with Saturday's loss. Dan Weisse has now won four of the last five games in the series over his former boss Chad Walthall, who we was an assistant coach under at MSU Moorhead before arriving at Minnesota Crookston in 2014. The Golden Eagles move to 4-2 in the friendly confines of Lysaker Gymnasium.

Minnesota Crookston was led by a season-high 21 points from Tyrese Shines (Fr., G, La Grange, Ill.), who put together his best weekend as a Golden Eagle. Shines had 10 points against Northern State University on Friday to average 15.5 for the weekend. He also added a season-high eight rebounds for the night.

Harrison Cleary (Sr., G, Oak Creek, Wis.) got back on track after struggling from the field on Friday. Cleary had 33 points on 9-of-21 from the field, 3-of-8 from beyond the arc, and 12-of-14 from the foul line. He added four rebounds and three assists. Cleary moves to within 127 points of surpassing St. Cloud State University great Gage Davis for the all-time NSIC scoring leader. He also moved to 26^th all-time in NCAA Division II scoring history, surpassing seven players this weekend.

Brian Sitzmann (R-So., G/F, Savage, Minn.) chipped in 11 points on 4-of-10 from beyond the arc, and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. Chase Johnson (R-Jr., F/C, La Crosse, Wis.) chipped in four points, 10 rebounds, and four assists, while Ibu Jassey-Demba (Jr., F, Birmingham, England) had two points, nine rebounds, and four assists.

The Golden Eagles were hot from the field in the first half, shooting 18-of-34 for 52.9 percent in the first half. Minnesota Crookston finished the game 32-of-67 for 47.8 percent from the field. The Golden Eagles shot 8-of-18 from beyond the arc for 44.4 percent. Minnesota Crookston was 22-of-25 for 88.0 percent from the foul stripe.

Minnesota Crookston had 14 assists, as they moved the ball around well on the night with 10-of-11 players who appeared in the game scoring. The Golden Eagles also controlled the glass 46-35 on the evening. Minnesota Crookston's bench was productive with 36 points guided by 21 points from Shines.

MSU Moorhead looked to 15 points and six rebounds off the bench from Bryce Irsfeld. Dane Zimmer added 14 points and seven rebounds, while Joe Sevlie chipped in 10 points.

The Dragons were limited to just 21-of-59 from the field for 35.6 percent. MSU Moorhead struggled from beyond the arc, going 3-of-17 for 17.6 percent. The Dragons were idle at the foul line where they were just 16-of-27 for 59.3 percent.

Minnesota Crookston looked to set to the tone early as Cleary sank two contested three-pointers early to push the Golden Eagles out to an 8-2 advantage. The Dragons would pull within 8-4 on a Zimmer bucket. Minnesota Crookston came right back with another 7-0 run as Cleary found Sitzmann for the trey to make it 15-4.

The Dragons would utilize an 8-2 run of their own to pull within 17-12 on a Sevlie basket with 12:36 remaining in the first half. The Golden Eagles put their foot on the gas again as an 11-2 run pushed the advantage out to 28-14 with a Cleary triple. Minnesota Crookston widened the gap to 16 at 33-17 after Cleary went 1-of-2 from the stripe with 5:53 remaining in the opening stanza.

MSU Moorhead would slice the lead down to nine at 38-29 as they went on a 12-5 run following a basket from Sevlie. Minnesota Crookston closed the half on a 7-3 run as they went into the locker room with a 45-32 lead.

The Dragons attempted to make a divot in the Golden Eagle lead using a 4-0 run paced by a Kaedrick Williams triple to cut the deficit to 45-36. Minnesota Crookston had the answer as they utilized a 5-0 run of their own to move into a 50-36 lead. MSU Moorhead would keep on grinding away at the lead in the early going of the second half and pull within 10 at 52-42 on a Zimmer bucket with 14:26 left in the game.

From that point though it was all Golden Eagles, as they took control with a 14-2 run to take a 63-44 lead. Minnesota Crookston would lead by a game-high 35 at 92-57 as Zach Westphal (R-Fr., G, West Fargo, N.D.) found Johnson in the post for a pair with over a minute left in the game. Minnesota Crookston would earn the 94-61 win as they controlled the second half 49-29.

The Golden Eagles will hit the road next weekend as they take on Winona State University Fri., Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m., and Upper Iowa University sat., Jan. 18 at 5:30 p.m.