Golden Eagles Set for Two Straight Home Weekends inside Lysaker Gymnasium


•  The Minnesota Crookston men's basketball team finds itself at 8-10 overall and 4-8 in the NSIC, coming off of a disappointing weekend last weekend, where the Golden Eagles were swept at the hands of Winona State and Upper Iowa. The Golden Eagles return home this weekend after their longest trip of the conference season, to four straight games inside of Lysaker Gymnasium. It's a giant weekend for Minnesota Crookston, who can make some moves in the conference the next two weekends. UMary has an identical record as the Golden Eagles in the conference, so this Friday night is a big one in the NSIC North.

•  DEFENSIVE STOPS. It seems simple, but a key to a lot of basketball games is getting stops on the defensive end. This past weekend, the Golden Eagles struggled with that part of the game. On Friday night against Winona State, the Golden Eagles trailed by 19 heading into the halftime break. The Golden Eagles won the second half, 35-30, due to getting stops on the defensive end, and at one point, Minnesota Crookston had the game within eight midway through the second half. On Saturday, the Golden Eagles shot 52 percent from the field, but couldn't stop Upper Iowa defensively, who shot 57 percent from the field and made 15 3-point field goals. Digging in on defense could be the key for the Golden Eagles moving forward.
 
•  CLEARY FOR PRESIDENT. Okay, we don't think Harrison Cleary has an interest in politics, or being president, but if he did, we think he would be pretty good at that. It's a solid bet, because the senior from Oak Creek, Wis., is pretty good at the thing he's interested in now, basketball. Cleary averaged 26.0 points per game last weekend, including a 35-point output in the wild 102-94 loss to Upper Iowa last Saturday. Cleary currently sits at third in the nation in scoring per game (28.2), just .7 behind the nation's leader Jordan Floyd from King (TN). H is also first nationally in field-goal attempts, free throws made and is second in the nation in total points and free throws attempted. Cleary sits just 75 points away from being the NSIC's all-time conference game scoring leader, which would surpass former St. Cloud State great Gage Davis, who currently sits in the lead with 1,932 points. Cleary's legendary career is winding down in Crookston, but the Golden Eagles and their fans hope that H has some more tricks up his sleeve to get back to the Sanford Pentagon.

•  CHASE THE NUMBERS. Chase Johnson arguably had his best weekend of the season. The redshirt junior from La Crosse, Wis., enjoyed a homecoming of sorts, averaging 10 points and eight rebounds this weekend, including a season-high 13 points in the loss to Winona State. More importantly, Johnson pulled down 10 rebounds against Upper Iowa, which is tied for his season-high. That double-digit rebound game for Johnson was his second in three games, also pulling down 10 rebounds in the domination of MSU Moorhead. Johnson has played outstanding as of late and will look to continue that this weekend.

•  WELCOME HOME, ALUMNI. This Saturday evening, the Golden Eagles men and women's basketball team will welcome back their alumni for their doubleheader with the Beavers of Minot State. The alumni will be recognized at halftime of both games, with a Teambackers social at 2:30 in the classroom in the Sportscenter. The social is open to the public. Come on out and cheer on your Golden Eagles!

•  REMEMBER ME? It might be an interesting week for redshirt sophomore guard Zac Olson. The Waterville, Minn., native was a redshirt freshman for the University of Mary back in 2017-18, before transferring to Lake Region State last season. This season, Olson is starting to earn the trust of Head Coach Dan Weisse and is earning some valuable minutes. Last Saturday, with the Golden Eagles trailing by seven midway through the second half, Olson hit a giant three from the right corner to cut the Peacock lead to just four. Olson scored a career-high 16 points earlier this season in a loss to Augustana, while also playing a career-high 24 minutes. Olson is starting to play like he envisioned at the start of the year and he will look to continue that success this weekend.

•  GIANT WEEKEND. Is this weekend a must-sweep weekend for the Golden Eagles? Maybe not. Would a sweep go a long way to righting the ship? Absolutely. The Marauders and Golden Eagles have identical records in the conference at 4-8 and whoever wins on Friday night could be the difference in seeding and/or hosting. Although Minot State is just 1-11 in conference play, they defeated arguably the best team in the conference last Saturday in Sioux Falls at home. The Golden Eagles will look to defeat the Beavers for the first time in NSIC play. It's a huge chance for the Golden Eagles to change their season, but also a tough weekend at home.

•  STAY HOT. In Saturday's loss to Upper Iowa, the Golden Eagles couldn't seem to miss. Minnesota Crookston shot 51.6 percent from the field and 44 percent from the 3-point line. The 50+ percent from the field and 40+ percent from the field was just the fourth time all season that the Golden Eagles have had a game like that. The 51.6 percent was the first time the Golden Eagles have made over half of their shots since the rout of Sioux Falls right before Thanksgiving. Minnesota Crookston has shot the ball well the past three games, shooting 40 percent or better in each of the three games.

•  IT'S NICE TO BE HOME. There might not be a better time for the Golden Eagles to be home than right now. The Golden Eagles have a great shot of getting back into the swing of things in the NSIC North if they can take care of business these next two weekends. The Golden Eagles had two straight weekends at home a season ago and went 3-1 during those stretch of games. A similar record or better through these next four games would be ideal for the Golden Eagles and their fans.


"Look Good, Play Good"
White Jersey: 4-5
Black Jersey: 4-5 


2019-20 NSIC Rankings
Scoring Offense: 11th
Scoring Defense: 15th
Scoring Margin: 15th
Free Throw Pct.: 1st
Field Goal Pct.: 16th
Field Goal Pct. Defense: 16th
3-Point Field Goal Pct.: 12th
3-Point Field Goal Pct. Defense: 16th
Rebounding Offense: 16th
Rebounding Defense: 13th
Rebounding Margin: 16th
Offensive Rebounds: 15th
Defensive Rebounds: 15th
Blocked Shots: 6th
Assists: 16th
Steals: 6th
Turnover Margin: 4th
Assist/Turnover Ratio: 11th


Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Dan Weisse
Record at UMC: 52-107 Season at UMC: Sixth Season


UMary Marauders
Head Coach: Joe Kittell
Record at UMARY: 58-76 Season at UMARY: Fifth Season

Minot State Beavers
Head Coach:  Matt Murken
Record at MISU: 102-119 Season at MISU: Eighth Season

Weekly Snapshot

Minnesota Crookston
Projected Starters
Sr. PG 0 Harrison Cleary (6-1 180, Oak Creek, Wis.) 28.2 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 4.1 APG
RSo. SG 14 Brian Sitzmann (6-4 192, Savage, Minn.) 8.7 PPG, 2.6 RPG
RSr. SF 12 Malcolm Cohen (6-6 210, Detroit, Mich.) 8.8 PPG, 3.1 RPG
Jr. PF 10 Ibu Jassey Demba (6-7 200, Birmingham, England) 3.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG
Sr. F/C 44 Javier Nicolau (6-10 220, Castellon, Spain) 6.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG
Top Bench Players
Fr. F 20 Reed Miller (6-6 205, Appleton, Wis.) 3.4 PPG, 3.1 RPG
Fr. G 13 Tyrese Shines (6-3 190, La Grange, Ill.) 6.0 PPG, 2.4 RPG
R-So. F 21 Chase Johnson (6-8 240, La Crosse, Wis.) 4.5 PPG, 5.2 RPG
R-So. G/F 25 Zac Olson (6-5 225, Waterville, Minn.) 2.3 PPG

University of Mary
Projected Starters
Sr. G 0 Jaylan White (5-11 175, St. Charles, Iowa) 11.8 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 4.2 APG
Jr. G 4 Glenn Jordan (6-1 180, Tacoma, Wash.) 5.2 PPG, 1.5 RPG
Jr. G 11 Connor Hellebust (6-3 195, Bismarck, N.D.) 8.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG
Jr. F 22 Wyatt Carr (6-5 225, Hazen, N.D.) 8.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 29 3FGM
Jr. F 44 Matthew Kreklow (6-9 225, Maple Plain, Minn.) 14.3 PPG, 8.1 RPG
Top Bench Players
So. F 23 Justin Engg (6-5 225, Minot, N.D.) 2.3 PPG, 2.6 RPG
R-Fr. G 34 Josh Sipes (6-3 185, Bismarck, N.D.) 6.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG
R-Fr. F 42 Kade Amundson (6-6 190, Bismarck, N.D.) 5.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG

Minot State
Projected Starters
Jr. F 0 Kody Dwyer (6-9 225, Zimmerman, N.D.) 11.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG
Sr. G 3 Kyle Beisch (6-3 185, Fort Dodge, Iowa) 18.8 PPG, 4.6 RPG
Jr. G 5 Max Cody (6-1 205, Melbourne, Australia) 14.8 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 6.4 APG
Sr. F 21 Trevor Rothstein (6-7 200, St. Michael, Minn.) 5.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG
Fr. G 32 Kobe Jackson (5-11 175, Burnie, Tasmania) 2.3 PPG, 2.4 RPG
Top Bench Players
Jr. F 11 Stephane Manzi (6-9 180, Kigali, Rwanda) 2.9 PPG, 3.3 RPG
R-So. F 32 Sam Ohlrich (6-8 210, Woodstock, Ill.) 4.8 PPG, 2.7 RPG 


#Tidbits

UNIVERSITY OF MARY. The Marauders sit in a very similar spot to the Golden Eagles. UMary comes into Crookston this Friday night with a 4-8 conference record and 9-9 overall. UMary lost a heartbreaker last Friday night to Sioux Falls, but was able to get the weekend split after cruising to a 75-60 win over Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday night in Bismarck.

DRIVE THE CARR. Wyatt Carr, the junior from Hazen, N.D., is enjoying a solid third season for the Marauders. Carr is fourth on the team with 8.1 points per game and leads the team in 3-point makes with 29, including shooting a perfect 5-5 from behind the arc early on in the season in a win over Presentation. Carr is dangerous from behind the arc and could be a dangerous matchup for the Golden Eagles, who have struggled to defend the three ball.

STRAW THAT STIRS THE DRINK. Jaylan White is one of the best playmakers in the NSIC. The 5-11 guard from St. Charles, Iowa has 76 assists on the season, which is an average of 4.2 assists per game. White is also second on the team with 11.1 points per game. White is coming off his best game of the season, collecting a double-double in the win over Southwest Minnesota State, scoring 12 points, dishing out 12 assists and grabbing five rebounds.

PAD THE STATS. Matthew Kreklow is a star for UMary. The native of Delano, Minn., leads the team in both points and rebounds per game, scoring 14.3 points per game and 8.1 rebounds per game. Although Kreklow was hed to a season-low four points against the Mustangs, Kreklow has a whopping five double-doubles on the season, including a four-game stretch in the NSIC with four straight double-doubles.

MINOT STATE. It's been an interesting and at times, tough season in Minot. The Beavers started out 6-0, including two wins to open the season over Harding University and Ouchita Baptist (AR). Conference play started and the Beavers dropped 11 straight games, but got a huge win over conference leader Sioux Falls last Saturday in Minot.

DOMINATION. Since Minot State entered the NSIC in 2012, the Beavers have never lost to the Golden Eagles. The Beavers swept the season series last season, dominating at home in the Minot Dome and squeaking out a victory over Minnesota Crookston inside Lysaker Gymnasium. The largest margin of victory for Minot State was a 33-point victory on Feb. 16, 2013 in Minot. It's no secret that the Beavers have had the upper hand when these two teams have met.

HE COMES FROM THE LAND DOWN UNDER.  Junior guard Max Cody is an outstanding guy to have the ball in his hands. The Melbourne, Australia native is second on the team in scoring with 14.8 points per game, including a season-high 27 points in a loss to Minnesota Duluth two weekends ago. Where Cody is so effective is distributing the ball. Cody has four games on the season with nine assists, including two-straight this past weekend. Cody is first in the conference in assists per game, averaging 6.4. When Cody is playing well, it usually means the Beavers are as well.

IT'S A DWYER SITUATION. Kody Dwyer has had a nice season for the Beavers. The Zimmerman, Minn., native is third on the team with 11.4 points per game and leads the team with 5.8 rebounds per game. Dwyer has one double-double on the season, that coming in the third game of the season, a win over Dickinson State. Dwyer is shooting an astounding 70.6 percent from the field. All of Dwyer's shot attempts has come from inside the three-point line, as he is the only player for the Beavers to register minutes and not attempt a long-ball.


WHAT TO WATCH
1. Can Minnesota Crookston get stops defensively?

2. Can the Golden Eagles continue to get solid play from their bench?

3. Harrison Cleary is just 75 points away from being the NSIC's all-time leading scorer.

4. Can Minnesota Crookston get a NSIC North sweep at home?

5. How will the Golden Eagles bounce back after a rough weekend on the road?