•  The Minnesota Crookston men's basketball team finds itself in the midst of a five-game losing streak and will hope that a trip out west cures some of the things that Minnesota Crookston has struggled with. Last weekend, Minnesota Crookston had no problem scoring, scoring 90 in loss to Minnesota State and 81 to Concordia-St. Paul. However, Minnesota Crookston allowed 93 and 92, respectively. If the Golden Eagles want to get back on the right track, it's going to start this weekend against two teams they split with earlier in the year.

•  STAY ON THE BALANCE BEAM. On Friday night, the Golden Eagles had three scorers in double-figures, led by Cleary's 33, followed by Malcolm Cohen and Tyres Shines, who scored 14 and 12, respectively. On Saturday night, Minnesota Crookston did one better, by having four in double-figures as Ibu Jassey Demba and Javier Nicolau dropped 14 and 12, respectively, joining Cleary's 22 and Cohen's 12, all of which came in the second half. Although the Golden Eagles lost both games, Head Coach Dan Weisse has to like the balance he saw from his team offensively, this past weekend.
 
•  HE LOVES PLAYING THE MAVS. A week after breaking the NSIC's all-time scoring record, Harrison Cleary got a chance to play a team he loves to play; Minnesota State. In his previous three games against MSU, the Oak Creek, Wis., native averaged 39.3 points per game, including 47 in his second meeting against the Mavs. This past Friday, Cleary scored 33 points on 24 shots, but buried a season-high seven 3-point field goals on a season-high 13 attempts. Cleary has had a lot of success against a lot of opponents over his four seasons, but Minnesota State might be at the top of a list that doesn't want to see Cleary come playoff time. Cleary also became the first ever player in NSIC play to score 2,000 points, which he did in last Saturday's game against Concordia-St. Paul. Currently, Cleary sits at 2,010 points and 2,735 overall points.

•  IT'S GOTTA BE THE SHOES, RIGHT? Ibu Jassey Demba sticks out in most games because of his 6-7, 200 pound frame and his bright, pink shoes that pay homage to Kobe and Gigi Bryant. This past weekend, Jassey Demba stuck out for his play. Jassey Demba was outstanding this past weekend, scoring nine points and pulling down seven boards in the three point loss to Minnesota State. The following night, the Birmingham, England native scored a career-high 14 points on 5-8 shooting from the field and 4-6 from behind the arc. The four 3-point makes was also a career high for Jassey Demba.

•  CRUNCH TIME. Although the Golden Eagles have struggled as of late, the Golden Eagles can make a lot of people forget about this cold stretch if they can get hot. Currently, Minnesota Crookston is 7th in the NSIC North. If this isn't an already giant weekend, it's even bigger if you look at the standings. The Golden Eagles are sandwiched right in the middle of UMary (6th) and Minot State (8th). If the Golden Eagles can go 2-0 this weekend in North Dakota, there's a chance they can hop to 5th in the North, depending on how Bemidji State does this weekend. To say this weekend is giant for Minnesota Crookston would be a massive understatement.

•  3 IS BETTER THAN 2. Last season, the Golden Eagles were one of the most prolific 3-point shooting teams in the conference. Minnesota Crookston had two seperate games last season, where they buried 18 from behind the arc, both of which were wins. This season, the Golden Eagles haven't been as prolific from deep, but this past weekend, the Golden Eagles showed why they will be a tough out in the playoffs. In two games last weekend, the Golden Eagles buried 26 three's, including 14 in Friday night's loss to Minnesota State. If the Golden Eagles want to get back to their winning ways, shooting consistently from the 3-point line will be important.

•  THE SECRET WEAPON FROM WAUPUN. It took a while for Quintin Winterfeldt to crack the Golden Eagle rotation, but different circumstances have put the freshman from Waupun, WIs., into significant playing time and he hasn't disappointed. Over the weekend, Winterfeldt averaged 4.0 points per game and scored a career-high five points in the loss to Concordia-St. Paul. Winterfeldt has gotten better as time has gone along, and he will look to continue to get better down the final stretch run for Minnesota Crookston.

•  MOTOR CITY MAGIC. Malcolm Cohen had himself a solid weekend. In fact, Cohen has scored double-figures in three straight games, dating back to the loss to Sioux Falls on Feb. 1. Cohen averaged 13 points per game this past weekend and was 7-18 from behind the 3-point line, including four makes from behind the arc against CSP, all of which came in the second half. The Golden Eagles are hoping that Cohen has a repeat of his last performance against UMary, when Cohen scored 28 points, 23 in the first half, shooting 8-13 from behind the arc. If Cohen can repeat that performance, Minnesota Crookston will be in a good spot to win.

•  ON THE ROAD AGAIN. Minnesota Crookston is back on the road for one final time this regular season, wrapping up the four-game stretch on the road. The Golden Eagles played well on the road last weekend, but couldn't get a W in either game. The Golden Eagles are looking for confidence and maybe a sweep on the road could get that confidence back.

"Look Good, Play Good"
White Jersey: 5-7
Black Jersey: 4-8  


2019-20 NSIC Rankings
Scoring Offense: 10th
Scoring Defense: 15th
Scoring Margin: 16th
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: 14th
Rebounding Margin: 16th
Offensive Rebounds: 10th
Defensive Rebounds: 16th
Blocked Shots: 5th
Assists: 16th
Steals: 7th
Turnover Margin: 4th
Assist/Turnover Ratio: 11th


Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Dan Weisse
Record at UMC: 53-107 Season at UMC: Sixth Season


Minot State Beavers
Head Coach:  Matt Murken
Record at MISU: 104-120 Season at MISU: Eighth Season


UMary Marauders
Head Coach: Joe Kittell
Record at UMary: 60-80 Season at UMary: Fifth Season


Weekly Snapshot

Minnesota Crookston
Projected Starters
Sr. PG 0 Harrison Cleary (6-1 180, Oak Creek, Wis.) 27.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 4.3 APG
RSo. SG 14 Brian Sitzmann (6-4 192, Savage, Minn.) 8.1 PPG, 2.6 RPG
RSr. SF 12 Malcolm Cohen (6-6 210, Detroit, Mich.) 10.0 PPG, 3.4 RPG
Jr. PF 10 Ibu Jassey Demba (6-7 200, Birmingham, England) 4.8 PPG, 3.6 RPG
Sr. F/C 44 Javier Nicolau (6-10 220, Castellon, Spain) 6.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG
Top Bench Players
Fr. G 13 Tyrese Shines (6-3 190, La Grange, Ill.) 7.0 PPG, 2.6 RPG
R-So. F 21 Chase Johnson (6-8 240, La Crosse, Wis.) 4.3 PPG, 5.2 RPG
R-So. G/F 25 Zac Olson (6-5 225, Waterville, Minn.) 2.2 PPG

Minot State
Projected Starters
Jr. F 0 Kody Dwyer (6-9 225, Zimmerman, N.D.) 11.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG
Sr. G 3 Kyle Beisch (6-3 185, Fort Dodge, Iowa) 19.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG
Jr. G 5 Max Cody (6-1 205, Melbourne, Australia) 15.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 6.5 APG
Sr. F 21 Trevor Rothstein (6-7 200, St. Michael, Minn.) 7.5 PPG, 5.4 RPG
Fr. G 32 Kobe Jackson (5-11 175, Burnie, Tasmania) 2.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG
Top Bench Players
Jr. F 11 Stephane Manzi (6-9 180, Kigali, Rwanda) 2.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG
R-So. F 32 Sam Ohlrich (6-8 210, Woodstock, Ill.) 5.4 PPG, 2.9 RPG

University of Mary
Projected Starters
Sr. G 0 Jaylan White (5-11 175, St. Charles, Iowa) 11.8 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 3.8 APG
Jr. G 4 Glenn Jordan (6-1 180, Tacoma, Wash.) 5.1 PPG, 1.5 RPG
Jr. G 11 Connor Hellebust (6-3 195, Bismarck, N.D.) 8.8 PPG, 3.0 RPG
Jr. F 22 Wyatt Carr (6-5 225, Hazen, N.D.) 8.1 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 38 3FGM
Jr. F 44 Matthew Kreklow (6-9 225, Maple Plain, Minn.) 14.4 PPG, 8.2 RPG
Top Bench Players
So. F 23 Justin Engg (6-5 225, Minot, N.D.) 2.4 PPG, 2.7 RPG
R-Fr. G 34 Josh Sipes (6-3 185, Bismarck, N.D.) 6.7 PPG, 3.2 RPG
R-Fr. F 42 Kade Amundson (6-6 190, Bismarck, N.D.) 4.7 PPG, 2.3 RPG


#Tidbits

MINOT STATE. Although the Beavers are last in the NSIC North and coming off a sweep last weekend at home, there is still a ton to play for MISU. Minot State is 10-14, but just one game behind the Golden Eagles for 7th in the North and an outside shot to get a five seed. Something has to give this weekend; Minot State has lost three in a row, while the Golden Eagles have lost five in a row. It's a big game in the big Minot Dome on Friday.

HEAD ON A SWIVEL. Max Cody is what James Naismith had in mind of what a point guard should be when he invented the great game of basketball. Cody literally does it all for the Beavers. He is second on the team in points, averaging 15.5 points per game, is third in rebounds per game with 4.8 and leads the conference with 157 assists on the season (6.5 per game). The last time these two teams met, Cody scored 22 points, grabbed six rebounds and had seven assists.

THE KYLE KHRONICLES. Kyle Beisch is the leader for the Beavers. When him and Cody are playing well, like they did in Crookston three weeks ago, usually the Beavers are playing well. Beisch enters this weekend 7th in scoring at 19.6 points per game and is fifth in 3-point makes per game with 2.5. The Fort Dodge, Iowa native couldn't seem to miss the last time these two teams met, scoring 28 points on 11-13 from the field.

LOCKDOWN. One of the main reasons the Beavers have been more successful as of late has been their success on the defensive end. The Beavers are 5th in the conference, giving up just 71.3 points per game, just four points away from Sioux Falls, who lead the conference in fewest points per game. The Beavers have been so good defensively that the 94 points they gave up last weekend in a loss to Upper Iowa was the highest they have given up all season.

UNIVERSITY OF MARY. There's no doubt that depending on what happens on Friday night, Saturday night's game between the Marauders and Golden Eagles could be the biggest game of the season for both programs. The Marauders are 11-14 and 6-12 in the NSIC, just one game ahead of the Golden Eagles in the NSIC North. The Marauders are coming off of a heartbreaking loss to Winona State last Saturday.

THAT'S THE WAY, JAY. Jaylan White is really good. The senior from St. Charles, Iowa is second on the team in scoring at 11.8 per game and leads the team with 92 assists. Although he struggles from behind the arc, just a 27 percent shooter from deep on the season, he is an effective scorer. In the first meeting, White had scored 18 points, including 12 in the second half. White was huge down the stretch, giving his team a chance to win after at one time trailing by double-digits.

OLD-FASHIONED. Matthew Kreklow isn't going to hurt a lot of teams from the outside, shooting just five from behind the arc and making two, but he has other ways of hurting opponents. The Maple Plain, Minn., native leads his team in points per game and rebounds per game. The last time he played the Golden Eagles, Kreklow scored 23 points on 9-14 from the field.

NICE STRETCH. Trever Kaiser is enjoying a nice five game stretch for the Marauders. The sophomore from Dassel, Minn., is averaging 14.6 points per game since the last time these two teams met, including a season-high 18 points against Wayne State College. Kaiser has yet to start a game for the Marauders, but he is definitely a nice weapon to have off the bench.


WHAT TO WATCH

1. Can Minnesota Crookston get a much-needed sweep in two tough environments?

2. Can the Golden Eagles continue to shoot the ball well?

3. Just four games left in the regular season.

4. Can Minnesota Crookston get their first win over Minot State in the Division II era?

5. First time since 2014 the Golden Eagles are playing on Valentines Day.