• THE MINNESOTA CROOKSTON women's basketball team enters the weekend with a 3-15 (2-12 NSIC) mark. The Golden Eagles split last weekend with a 78-76 win over Minot State University and a tough loss down the stretch to University of Mary 77-73. Minnesota Crookston is looking to build off their big win over the Beavers. The Golden Eagles come in shooting 37.3 percent from the field and 29.1 percent from beyond the arc. Minnesota Crookston enters Friday notching 61.1 points per game and allowing 75.3 points per game to their foes.

• DEAR ABBY. Minnesota Crookston junior Abby Guidinger has become Minnesota Crookston's go-to scoring option as evidenced by her 13.7 points per game over the last 11 for the Golden Eagles. Guidinger had 17 points and 10 rebounds, along with seven assists, as the do-it-all player fell three assists short of a double-double. Guidinger tallied 13 points and six boards last Saturday versus Minot State. Guidinger comes into Friday shooting 42.1 percent from the field. She should be a key factor in the success of the Golden Eagles moving forward.

• PEP IN HER STEP. Julia Peplinski has been a crucial player recently for the Golden Eagles. She had a break-out game with 19 points and seven boards as Minnesota Crookston nearly upended UMary last Friday. Peplinski was also strong on the boards with seven on Friday. On Saturday, she added seven points and eight boards for the Golden Eagles. Peplinski will prove to be a big factor in the post for Minnesota Crookston.

• SOMETHING ABOUT MARY. Redshirt Freshman Mary Burke is in her first full season playing for the Golden Eagles and she has a bright future ahead of her. Burke has been on the top of her game recently, with 20 points and six boards, including two crucial shots down the stretch in Saturday's win over UMary. Burke is averaging 15.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game over the last three for the Golden Eagles. Burke also found her three-point shot as she went 5-of-9 for the weekend for 55.5 percent. Burke will look to continue to stay in her groove this weekend.

• SHE BUILDS IT.  Minnesota Crookston freshman Emma Carpenter, puts big plays together with her strong assists as the newcomer from Eagan, Minn., is second on the team with 34 assists. Carpenter has also recently found the offense herself as she had her best weekend as Golden Eagle, averaging 10 points and two asssits for Minnesota Crookston. Carpenter had a big game with 11 points in the win over Minot State. Carpenter added nine points last Friday against the Marauders. She will look to continue to find her role and success heading into the weekend.

• SHE'S THE VETSCH.  Minnesota Crookston freshman guard Mattea Vetsch has shown some great moments as a freshman, as she looks to develop into a strong player both defensively and offensively. Vetsch had 18 points on 6-of-7 from the field, and 4-of-5 from beyond the arc in a crucial win last Saturday over Minot State. Vetsch tallied 15.0 points and three assists per game last weekend for the Golden Eagles. Vetsch is dangerous from beyond the arc, as he went 6-of-9 for 66.7 percent from beyond the arc last weekend. She is averaging 15 points per game in the last three. Vetsch will be a key player moving forward, and she will look to showcase those qualities Friday.

• YOU'VE GOT A FREUND IN ME.  Minnesota Crookston junior Ashley Freund went on got key rebounds last weekend against UMary. She tallied 4.0 rebounds per game last weekend for Freund. Look for her to continue to see the court and possibly grow into a bigger role moving forward.

• AGAINST THE MUSTANGS  Southwest Minnesota State won the 2018-19 match-up 78-71 on the road in Marshall, Minn. The Golden Eagles have had the upper hand recently though, winning for of their last six. Minnesota Crookston last won Jan. 12, 2018 with a 65-61 win over Southwest Minnesota State.

• CALMING THE COUGARS.  Minnesota Crookston matches up with No. 15/18 Sioux Falls on Saturday. The Golden Eagles Eagles have lost their last six meetings. The Golden Eagles have lost their last six games. Minnesota Crookston took two of the last eight against Sioux Falls. Minnesota Crookston's last win in the series came 71-62

SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE. SMSU has a 10-9 (5-9 NSIC) record coming into the weekend. However, the Mustangs may be hitting their stride at the right time as they have won 4 of their last 5 games, including big road wins over Minnesota State Mankato and UMary. The Mustangs split their last two games against Winona State and Upper Iowa, losing to the Warriors and beating the Peacocks in their most recent game. Southwest Minnesota State is currently 7th in the NSIC South Division, but are only 3 games back from the 4th place spot with 8 more regular season games left to play this season.

#1. Meleah Reinhart has been one of the premier players in the NSIC this season. She is currently sixth in the NSIC in scoring with 15.6 PPG and 297 total points. She is also sixth in the NSIC for free throw percentage at 85.9%. Reinhart shines under the lights as her two best games this year came against nationally ranked Sioux Falls. Reinhart tallied 26 points on 9-15 shooting in their first meeting, and 25 points and 8 rebounds the second time they played the Cougars. #1 averaged 14.5 PPG last weekend and will look to have two more big games this weekend.

THREE POINT BARAGE. Southwest Minnesota State comes in as the second best three point shooting team in the conference this year. They are currently averaging 8.1 threes a game for a total of 154. Jenna Borchers and Sadie Stelter are both top 10 in the conference for their 3-pt field goals per game. Borchers is averaging 2.2 threes per game and Stelter is getting 2.0 a game. Stelter is shooting 36.9% from behind the arc and Borchers is shooting 39.6% respectively. The Mustangs are also the number one team in the conference in regards to 3-pt fg percentage defense only allowing 28.1%. They will certainly look to control the 3-pt line this weekend.  

NOT IN HER HOUSE. Abuk Akoi has been the league's best rim protector this year. She is averaging 2.3 blocks per game for a total of 44 blocks on the season. She also ranks 18th in the country in the blocks per game category.  

VALLEY GIRLS. Mustang forwards Erin Baxter and Sara Teske both played high school basketball at the prestigious Apple Valley High School. The two forwards were recruited at the same time to play at SMSU. The high school teammates went 20-6 their senior year at Apple Valley and have become a vital part of the Mustang women's basketball team.

SIOUX FALLS. Sioux Falls enters the weekend with a 18-3 (11-3 NSIC) mark. The Cougars have been the best team in the conference this year, winning 9 straight games before suffering their first loss since December 14th last weekend to Winona State. Sioux Falls was last ranked 8th in the country and 1st in the region before suffering their loss last weekend. The Cougars come in leading the conference in multiple categories including scoring at 78.o PPG, 3-pt fg pct at 37.6%, and assist to turnover ratio with a 1.38 ratio. Sioux Falls will look to get back to their winning ways this weekend against the Bemidji State Beavers and our Golden Eagles.

HUM HER NAME. Kaely Hummel is one of the most dangerous players in the conference as she comes in to this weekend averaging 18.1 PPG, good for 4th in the league. Hummel is also the most lethal outside threat in the conference with her league leading 2.7 3-pt fg made per game and she is doing it at a sizzling 41.9%. Hummel has had nine 20 point games this year including a 24 point outburst last weekend against Upper Iowa. The senior from Cherokee will look to continue to make her case as one of the best players in the conference this weekend.

GROWN UPS. Sioux Falls has utilized their upperclassmen to the fullest this season as they start 3 seniors, a Graduate student, and a redshirt junior. One of the Cougars key players off the bench is a senior as well, among some quality underclassmen. The experienced group of players has molded well this season to lead the team to the top of the standings.

TERRIFIC TRANSFER. Redshirt junior Anna Goodhope from Sioux Falls, S.D. has made a major impact in her second year playing for the Cougars. Goodhope comes from playing her freshman year at North Dakota State University where she averaged 4.4 PPG and 1.4 RPG. Goodhope is averaging 10.8 PPG and is second on the team in rebounding with 4.7 RPG. Goodhope has been a great addition to the team and has been influential in helping them to their 18-3 record.

THE WISCONSIN WAY. Sioux Falls guard Mariah Szymanski and Minnesota Crookston forward Abby Guidinger both hail from the state of Wisconsin with Szymanski being from Pulaski and Guidinger from Waukesha. The two cities are separated by roughly two hours so they might not of known each other in high school, but they are sure to be aware of one another after Saturday's game. The two players are two of the top players on their respective teams and are sure to give the fans a great game. 

MINNESOTA CROOKSTON GOLDEN EAGLES
Head Coach: Mike Roysland (Bemidji State, 1980)
Career Record: 126-247 (14th Season at Minnesota Crookston)
2015 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Coach of the Year

SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE MUSTANGS
Head Coach: Tom Webb (Southwest Minnesota State, 1998)
SMSU Record: 30-70 (Fourth Season at Southwest Minnesota State)
Career Record: 121-193 (13th Season as Head Coach)

SIOUX FALLS COUGARS
Head Coach: Travis Traphagen (Black Hills State, 1999)
Career Record: 248-116 (12th Season at Sioux Falls)

WEEKLY SNAPSHOT

MINNESOTA CROOKSTON
Projected Starters
Fr. PG 21 Emma Carpenter (5-10, Eagan, Minn.) 2.8 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 1.8 APG
Fr. SG 15 Mattea Vetsch (5-8, Devils Lake, N.D. ) 5.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG
Jr. 3G 12 Abby Guidinger (5-10, Waukesha, Wis.) 10.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.0 APG
R-Fr. SF 22 Mary Burke (5-11, Virginia, Minn.) 8.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG
So. PF 31 Julia Peplinski (5-10, Hustisford, Wis.) 6.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG

Top Bench Players
So. G 24 Paige Cornale (5-10, Oak Creek, Wis.) 4.4 PPG, 2.1 RPG
So. G 5 Kylie Post (5-7, Corcoran, Minn.) 4.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG
Fr. G 3 Alyssa Peterson (5-7 Menahga, Minn.) 6.2 PPG, 1.6 RPG
Jr. G/F 10 Ashley Freund (5-11, Jordan, Minn.) 2.5 PPG, 1.2 RPG
Sr. F/C 14 Amber Schoenicke (6-1, Marshall, Wis.) 1.3 PPG, 1.4 RPG

SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
Projected Starters
So. PG 11 Jenna Borchers (5-6, Grimes, IA.) 12.6 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.6 APG
Jr. SG 3 Sadie Stelter (5-8, Wood Lake, Minn.) 10.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG
Fr. 3G 21 Sam Wall (5-8, Delhi, IA.) 4.6 PPG, 1.7 RPG
Jr. SF 1 Meleah Reinhart (5-9, New Ulm, Minn.) 15.6 PPG, 4.3 RPG
Jr. C 35 Abuk Akoi (6-4, Sioux Falls, S.D.) 8.4 PPG, 8.2 RPG
Top Bench Players
Jr. F 24 Erin Baxter (6-0, Apple Valley, Minn.) 4.8 PPG, 3.6 RPG
Fr. G 25 Madison Gehloff (5-9, Waseca, Minn.) 4.6 PPG, 2.1 RPG
Jr. F 20 Sara Teske (6-0, Lakeville, Minn.) 3.2 PPG, 4.9 RPG


SIOUX FALLS
Projected Starters
Sr. PG 22 Mariah Szymanski (5-6, Pulaski, Wis.) 11.2 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 3.0 APG
Sr. SG 3 Augusta Thramer (5-8, South Sioux City, Neb.) 7.6 PPG, 2.7 RPG
Sr. 3G 12 Kaely Hummel (5-8, Cherokee, IA.) 18.1 PPG, 3.0 RPG
Grad F 23 Jacey Huinker (5-9, Altoona, IA.) 5.4 PPG, 8.8 RPG
R-Jr. F 2 Anna Goodhope (6-0, Sioux Falls, S.D.) 10.8 PPG, 4.7 RPG
Top Bench Players
Sr. G 10 Jessie Geer (5-8, Gillette, Wyo.) 8.4 PPG, 2.7 RPG
So. G 5 Hannah Jones (5-7, Dodgeville, Wis.) 4.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG
So. F 34 Krystal Carlson (5-11, Hastings, Minn.) 2.9 PPG, 1.3 RPG

KEYS TO THE WEEKEND

- Can the Golden Eagles build off last weekend's win over Minot State?

- Can the Golden Eagles limit Meleah Reinhart on Friday?

- Will Minnesota Crookston be able to slow down Kaely Hummel on Saturday?

- Will Mary Burke continue her impressive play as of late?

- Can Abby Guidinger continue to make a positive impression on the line-up?

- Who else will step up and make big plays for the Golden Eagles?

- Can Minnesota Crookston find consistency on the defensive end?

- Will the Golden Eagles continue to move up in the standings?