• THE MINNESOTA CROOKSTON women's basketball team enters the weekend with a 4-18 (3-15 NSIC) mark. The Golden Eagles are looking to rebound after getting swept last weekend. Minnesota Crookston comes into the weekend after going 2-4 in the last six tilts. The Golden Eagles are being out-score 74.8 to 61.3 on the 2019-20 season. Minnesota Crookston comes into the weekend shooting 37.6 percent from the field and 28.0 percent from beyond the arc. The Golden Eagles are narrowly being out-rebounded 39.0 to 35.3 on the 2019-20 slate.

• DEAR ABBY. Minnesota Crookston junior Abby Guidinger has become Minnesota Crookston's go-to scoring option this season, as she comes in notching 9.5 points per game on the season. Guidinger is looking to get back into double figures after scoring in single digits the last four games. She has scored in double figures on 10 occasions with a season-high 20 points against Wayne State. Guidinger is shooting 38.6 percent from the field. She will look to have a big weekend for the Golden Eagles.

• PEP IN HER STEP. Julia Peplinski has been a crucial player recently for the Golden Eagles. Peplinski had a
double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds in a win over Southwest Minnesota State Jan. 31 at Lysaker Gymnasium. Peplinski is tallying 10.5 points per game over the last six games. Peplinski notched 19 points earlier this season against University of Mary. She comes into the weekend notching 7.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Peplinski has been strong from the field on the 2019-20 season, as she is shooting 49.5 percent on the season.  

• 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 as she has picked up double figure points in six of the last nine games. Burke had a season-high 20 points last time the Golden Eagles played Minot State, which came at home at Lysaker Gymnasium on Jan. 25. Burke notched 13 points last weekend against Minnesota State. She comes in averaging 8.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Burke is shooting 41.6 percent from the field, and 30.2 percent from beyond the arc.

• SHE'S BACK  Minnesota Crookston  sophomore Bren Fox was missed during a one month absence due to illnes. Fox had a huge game with 16 points in a win over Southwest Minnesota State on Jan. 31. Fox was crucial on the boards with nine rebounds last Friday against Minnesota State. Her best game of the season came in the season debut against nationally-ranked Nebraska Kearney. Fox is tallying 7.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per tilt during her sophomore campaign.

• 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 has tallied double-figure scoring in five of the last seven tilts. Vetsch scored 12 points last Friday against Minnesota State. She had 18 points the last time the Golden Eagles played Minot State, and scored 12 points versus UMary. Vetsch is averaging 6.4 points per game. She has been crucial from beyond the arc, where she is hitting at a 33.8 percent clip on the season.

• CALL THE CARPENTER.  Minnesota Crookston freshman Emma Carpenter is doing the little things in recent games. She is averaging 7.5 points in the last two tilts. Carpenter notched five boards in a win Jan. 31 over Southwest Minnesota State. Carpenter has a strong career ahead of her and this is just the beginning. Minnesota Crookston is looking forward to seeing her continued development throughout her career.

• BATTLING THE BEAVERS. Minnesota Crookston is 8-5 against Minot State since 2012. The Golden Eagles won the last tilt against the Beavers 78-76 on Jan. 25 at Lysaker Gymnasium. The Golden Eagles are 2-2 in the last four games against Minot State. Minot State's last win in the series came Feb. 15, 2019 with a 78-77 victory.

• MEETING THE MARAUDERS.  Minnesota Crookston has fell in their last three games against University of Mary. The Golden Eagles last picked up a win Feb. 17, 2018 with a 72-67 victory in Bismarck, N.D. UMary picked up a win earlier this season Jan. 24, 2020 with a 77-73 win. 

MINOT STATE. Minot State has a 6-16 (3-15 NSIC) record coming into the weekend. The Beavers are coming off of a huge two game home stand last weekend as they took down Winona State and Upper Iowa by double digits. Prior to those games, the Beavers lost close battles to Wayne State and Augustana by single digits. Minot State is one of the best passing teams in the conference as they come into the weekend 3rd in the NSIC with 14.8 assists per game for a total of 326 on the season. With the season winding down, Minot is in a race with Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State for the 6th seed in the NSIC North. The Beavers are currently one game back from Bemidji State for the 6th spot, while tied with Minnesota Crookston for the 7th spot.

SHE'S A PAYNE. Mariah Payne has been of the most reliable players in the conference this season as she is leading the way for Minot State. Payne is averaging 17.8 PPG which is good  for 3rd in the league, and she is also 5th in the conference in assists per game at 3.8. The Beavers have relied heavily on Payne's play this year as she is playing 32.9 minutes per game, ranking her 9th in the conference.

TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT. Sophomore Center Anna Counts has been huge for the Beavers in the paint this season. Counts is averaging 7.5 PPG and pulling down 6.5 RBG while shooting 44.8% from the field. the 6-2 Center is also a menace on the defensive side where she is leading the team with 30 blocks, totaling 1.4 per game.

ALL OVER THE GLASS. Minot State does a great job controlling the boards and have been one of the best rebounding teams in the league this season. They rank 4th in rebounding defense with 32.6 per game, 3rd in offensive rebounds with 11.2 per game, and 2nd in overall rebounding margin with a +5.6 margin. has had on of the league's most prolific offense's this year. With three players in the starting lineup taller than 5-10, the Beavers look to use their height advantage to outrebound their opponents.

THE LAND DOWN UNDER. The Beavers have been known for their abilitiy to recruit across the pond for both Men's and Women's basketball, and this year is no exception. Arguably the team's two top players hail from Australia and they are using that connection to help their Beavers win as many games as possible. Alongside Mariah Payne and Bethany Theodore who were previously mentioned, the Beavers also lean on Freshamn Lucy Chapman who is from New South Wales.

UNIVERSITY OF MARY. The University of Mary enters the weekend with a 17-10 (11-7 NSIC) mark. The Marauders come into this weekend in a tie for 3rd in the NSIC North division. They are tied with Minnesota State Moorhead at 11-7, and three games back from St. Cloud State in 2nd place. The University of Mary is on a two game win streak after sweeping their home stand last week against Upper Iowa and Winona State. The Marauders have one of the most prolific offensives in the conference as they have scored the most total points on the season with 2,019, and they are 4th in the league scoring 74.8 PPG. The Marauders also lead the conference in field goal percentage shooting 45.8%.

YOU JUST GOTTA ASK(VIG).  Senior Forward Cassie Askvig is making her case for player of the year this year as she is leading the conference in scoring at 21.0 PPG, pulling down 7.1 RPG and shooting nearly 50% from the field. Her rebounds per game number lands her at 11th in the league, while her shooting percentage is good for 4th in the league.Askvig has also attempted and made the most free throws in the league for a total of 125/157. Askvig will look to solidify her case as one of the best players in the conference with the season winding down.

THE NEXT FAMOUS SCHNEIDER. Rob Schneider, Dan Schneider, Lexie Schneider? Lexie Schneider has been a key part to the success of the Marauders this season. Schneider is averaging 10.8 PPG which is 3rd on the team, and she is leading the team in rebounding with 7.5 RPG. Schneider also leads the team in blocks and field goal percentage. Lexie Schneider's play may just make her the next famous Schneider in the world.

OAK CREEK KNIGHTS. Sophomore Guard Cassandra Bartek from The University of Mary and Paige Cornale from The University of Minnesota Crookston both attended Oak Creek High School in Wisconsin where they won 2 conference titles together and were a part of one of the winningest programs in the state. The two guards provide sparks off the bench for their respective teams and will look to compete against each other this weekend.

BADGER BACKCOURT. Cassie Askvig gets a lot of the credit on the Marauder squad, but her point guard Macy Williams and backup guard Christal Hearn should not be overlooked. The two guards come from the state of Wisconsin, from the cities of Sussex and Mequon respectively. The two cities are only separated by 30 minutes and that close chemistry within the Marauder backcourt has been influential in their success this season.

GAMEDAY

MINNESOTA CROOKSTON at MINOT STATE
DATE: Fri., Feb. 14
TIME: 5:30 p.m.
SITE: Minot, N.D.
ARENA: Minot State Dome
LIVE STATS: https://msubeavers.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
LIVE VIDEO: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/minotstate/
TWITTER: @UMNCrookstonATH/@UMNCrookstonWBB

MINNESOTA CROOKSTON at UMARY
DATE: Sat., Feb. 15
TIME: 3:30 p.m.
SITE: Bismarck, N.D.
ARENA:McDowell Activity Center
LIVE STATS:: https://goumary.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
LIVE VIDEO: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/umary/
RADIO: 1260 KROX AM/105.7 FM
TWITTER: @UMNCrookstonATH/@UMNCrookstonWBB

MINNESOTA CROOKSTON GOLDEN EAGLES
Head Coach: Mike Roysland (Bemidji State, 1980)
Career Record: 127-250 (14th Season at Minnesota Crookston)
2015 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Coach of the Year

MINOT STATE BEAVERS
Head Coach: Mark Graupe (University of North Dakota)
MINOT Record: 33-45 (Third Season at Minot State)
Career Record: 225-188 (15th Season Overall)

UMARY MARAUDERS
Head Coach: Rick Neumann (UMary, 1998)
Career Record: 123-107 (Eighth Season at UMary

WEEKLY SNAPSHOT

MINNESOTA CROOKSTON
Projected Starters
Fr. PG 21 Emma Carpenter (5-10, Eagan, Minn.) 3.1 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.8 APG
So. SG 5 Kylie Post (5-7, Corcoran, Minn.) 6.3 PPG, 2.8 RPG
Fr. 3G 15 Mattea Vetsch (5-8, Devils Lake, N.D.) 6.4 PPG, 2.5 RPG
R-Fr. SF 22 Mary Burke (5-11, Virginia, Minn.) 8.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG
So. C 23 Bren Fox (6-3, Norwood Young America, Minn.) 7.6 PPG, 6.6 RPG
Top Bench Players
So. G 24 Paige Cornale (5-10, Oak Creek, Wis.) 3.6 PPG, 1.6 RPG
Jr. F 12 Abby Guidinger (5-10, Waukesha, Wis.) 9.5 PPG, 3.3 RPG
Fr. G 3 Alyssa Peterson (5-7, Menahga, Minn.) 6.0 PPG, 1.6 RPG
Jr. G/F 10 Ashley Freund (5-11, Jordan, Minn.) 2.5 PPG, 1.2 RPG
So. F 31 Julia Peplinski (5-10, Hutisford, Wis.) 8.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG

MINOT STATE
Projected Starters
Sr. PG 4 Mariah Payne (5-7, Burnie, Australia) 17.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.8 APG
Jr. G 3 Bethany Theodore (5-4, Melbourne, Australia) 9.8 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 3.2 APG
Jr. 3G 12 Calli Delsman (5-10, Waukesha, Wis.) 8.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG
Sr. F 30 Mollie Wilson (5-11, Gillette, Wyo.) 5.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG
So. C 44 Anna Counts (6-2, Crystal, Minn.) 7.5 PPG, 6.5 RPG
Top Bench Players
Jr. F 22 Haley Hildenbrand (6-2, Parker, Colo.) 6.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG
Sr. G 3 Danielle Rizzari (5-3, Clearbrook, Va.) 2.3 PPG, 0.8 RPG
Fr. G 32 Lucy Chapman (5-8, Wamberal, New South Wales) 4.7 PPG, 1.7 RPG


UNIVERSITY OF MARY
Projected Starters
Jr. PG 1 Macy Williams (5-7, Sussex, Wis.) 8.6 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 4.1 APG
Fr. SG 23 Megan Voit (5-9, Sauk Rapids, Minn.) 4.6 PPG, 1.0 RPG
Jr. 3G 20 Coral Gillette (6-0, Bismarck, N.D.) 9.6 PPG, 2.0 RPG
Jr. F 24 Lauren Rotunda (6-0, Fargo, N.D.) 12.7 PPG, 7.4 RPG
Sr. F 12 Cassie Askvig (6-2, Minot, N.D.) 21.0 PPG, 7.1 RPG
Top Bench Players
Sr. G 2 Christal Hearn (5-11, Mequon, Wis.) 3.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG
So. G 13 Carly Kottsick (5-8, Fargo, N.D.) 1.3 PPG, 0.5 RPG
So. F 4 Lexie Schneider (6-3, Hilbert, Wis.) 10.4 PPG, 7.5 RPG

KEYS TO THE WEEKEND

- Can the Golden Eagles hit crucial shots this weekend against Minot State and UMary?

- Will the Golden Eagles be able to limit the looks for UMary's Cassie Askvig?

- Can Minnesota Crookston slow down Minot State guard Mariah Payne?

- Will Mary Burke be a crucial player for the Golden Eagles this weekend?

- Can Abby Guidinger rebound from a scoring slump?

- Who will hit the big shots for the Golden Eagles?

- Can the Golden Eagles have strong defensive
 performances?

- Will Minnesota Crookston be able to put four quarters together?