•    THE MINNESOTA CROOKSTON women's basketball team comes into the final regular-season weekend with a 4-20 (3-17 NSIC) mark. The Golden Eagles are looking to snap a five-game losing streak. Minnesota Crookston is looking to put together four full quarters, as they continue to grow as a young squad. The Golden Eagles ended Saturday's game against UMary on a strong note, as they outscored the Marauders 27-16 in the final quarter to pull within eight points. Minnesota Crookston is looking to end the regular-season on a strong note.

•    DOWN TO THE WIRE. Earlier this season Minnesota Crookston took NSIC North leader Minnesota Duluth down to the final seconds. The Golden Eagles fell to Minnesota Duluth 68-67 as the Bulldogs' Sarah Grow hit 1-of-2 from the charity stripe to pick up the last second win. Minnesota Crookston struggled from the free throw line on the game, as they were just 13-of-24 for 54.2 percent from the stripe.

•    POST GAME. Minnesota Crookston sophomore Kylie Post came off the bench for 14 points and six assists against UMary. Post was 5-of-6 from the field, and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe. The six assists was the most for Post on the 2019-20 season. She has notched double-figure scoring five times this season. Post is averaging 6.5 points per game on her sophomore campaign.

•    PEP IN HER STEP. Julia Peplinski has been a crucial player recently for the Golden Eagles. Peplinski had nine points and 13 rebounds against the Marauders last Saturday. Peplinski had 10 points and five boards two weeks ago versus Minnesota State. She has seven double-figure scoring games on the 2019-20 season. Peplinski is averaging 7.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game on the 2019-20 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 had one of her best games as a Golden Eagle against UMary last Saturday. Burke tallied a season-high 21 points on 8-of-13 from the field, and 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. Burke is averaging a team-high 9.1 points per game on the 2019-20 season. She is also averaging 4.3 rebounds per game. Burke comes in shooting 41.7 percent from the field, and 30.8 percent from beyond the arc. She has scored in double figures in six of the last ten games for the Golden Eagles. Burke will look to continue to be a go-to players for the Golden Eagles moving forward.

•    SHE'S BACK.  Minnesota Crookston  sophomore Bren Fox was missed during a one month absence due to illness. Fox had a strong game with 12 points against Minot State. Fox has tallied five double-figure scoring performances on the season. She is averaging 7.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Fox has been a key player off the bench in recent games for Minnesota Crookston.

•    THREE-PETE.  Minnesota Crookston freshman guard Alyssa Peterson has shown the ability to knock down the three ball as a freshman for the Golden Eagles. Alyssa Peterson had a strong game with 14 points, including going 5-of-9 from the field, and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc against Minot State. Peterson had a strong performance earlier this season against St. Cloud State, as she notched 17 points against the Huskies, including going 5-of-9 from behind the three-point line. Peterson is tallying 6.3 points per game on the season and is shooting 32.5 percent from beyond the arc.

•    CALL THE CARPENTER.  Minnesota Crookston freshman Emma Carpenter is doing the little things in recent games. Carpenter notched 12 points and three steals last week against Minot State. Carpenter has notched two double-figure scoring performances on the 2019-20 slate. Carpenter is notching 3.5 points per game on the 2019-20 slate.

•    SENIOR DAY.  Saturday will be Senior Day for Minnesota Crookston, as they honor Stephanie McWilliams, Paige Weakley, and Amber Schoenicke. McWilliams and Weakley have missed all or some of the season due to injury, while Schoenicke has seen an increased role this season. The Golden Eagles will honor all three young ladies after Saturday's tilt.

•    BATTLING THE BULLDOGS. Minnesota Crookston is 2-15 since 2010 against Minnesota Duluth. The Golden Eagles have lost their last two meetings against the Bulldogs. Minnesota Crookston last picked up a win against the Bulldogs Jan. 5, 2019 with a 66-61 win at Lysaker Gymnasium. The two wins for the Golden Eagles in the last 10 years have come at Lysaker Gymnasium. Minnesota Crookston also won 74-60 over Minnesota Duluth Jan. 10, 2016.

•    HOLDING THE HUSKIES.  Minnesota Crookston will look for a win over the Huskies on Saturday. The Golden Eagles  have lost the last five games against St. Cloud State. Minnesota Crookston last picked up a victory Jan. 7, 2017, as they defeated the Huskies 78-76 at Lysaker Gymnasium. The Golden Eagles also won at home in 2013 and 2016.

MINNESOTA DULUTH. Minnesota Duluth comes into the weekend as the #1 team in the entire NSIC. They sit at the top of the NSIC North standings with a 21-5 (18-2 NSIC) mark. The Bulldogs are ahead of St. Cloud State by two games, and ahead of South Division leader, Sioux Falls, by 2 games as well. The Bulldogs are currently riding a 7 game winning streak as they took down Northern State and MSU-Moorhead in their last two games on their senior weekend. Minnesota Duluth has the most stifling defense in the league only allowing 59.2 PPG. They also have the 5th highest margin of victory in the conference with a margin of 8.2. The Bullldogs will be looking to clinch a conference title this weekend, and return to their home court for the playoffs where they are an astounding 13-0 on the season.

AN OLSON TWIN. Brook Olson has been of the most reliable players in the conference this season as she is leading the way for Minnesota Duluth. Olson is averaging 15.7 PPG which is good  for 5th in the league, and she is also 3rd in the conference in field goal percentage at 50.5%, while attempting more shots than the two players above her. The Bulldogs have relied heavily on Olson's play this season, but she only plays 27.4 minutes per game, making her an extremely effective and efficient player when she is in the game.  

AMAZING MAESYN. Maesyn Thiesen is one of the best floor generals in the conference. Thiesen is averaging 4.2 APG which is 2nd in the entire league and she has 110 total assists which is 3rd in the league. Thiesen is also 8th in the league with her assist/turnover ratio of 1.6. Maesyn Thiesen combines with teammate Ann Simonet to have one of the most formidable backcourts in the conference.  

SHARE THE WEALTH. Minnesota Duluth has been one of the best passing teams in the conference this season. They do a great job at sharing the ball and it shows in their stats as they have 6 players averaging 7.0 PPG or more. They also rank 2nd in the league in assists per game with 16.23. In addition, they are 2nd in assist/turnover ratio with a 1.31 ratio. Lastly, they are 4th in turnover margin with a 2.42 margin as they take care of the ball and force opponents into turnovers. Ann Simonet and Maesyn Thiesen lead the way distributing the ball for the Bulldogs and it has paid dividends for them this season.

CONTROLLING THE PAINT. Minnesota Duluth leads the conference in blocked shots this year. They are averaging 4.23 blocks per game and have a total of 110 blocks on the season. Junior Sarah Grow leads the team with 52 blocks, equaling 2.0 per game, putting her in a tie for 1st place in the conference with Abuk Akoi from Southwest Minnesota State.

ST. CLOUD STATE. St. Cloud State enters the weekend with a 19-5 (16-4 NSIC) mark. The Huskies come into this weekend alone in 2nd place in the NSIC North Division. They are two games back from Minnesota Duluth from the 1st place spot. The Huskies are on a three game winning streak as they took down MSU-Moorhead and Northern State by slim margins last week. St. Cloud State has the 3rd best defense in the league as they only give up 61.3 PPG. The Huskies get it done offensively as well where they shoot 36.5% from three point range, good for 3rd in the league. St. Cloud State will be playing for it all this weekend as they will be chasing Minnesota Duluth for the conference title.

WORRY WORTZ.  Tori Wortz has been the Huskies leading scorer this season. Wortz is averaging 13.1 PPG while shooting a very good 39.1% from the three point line. In addition, Wortz is averaging 4.1 RPG and 3.0 APG as well making her a very solid all-around player for St. Cloud State.

KILBOTEN STEERING THE BOAT. Nikki Kilboten has been arguably the most influential player for the Huskies this season. Kilboten is averaging 13.o PPG and 7.7 RPG while shooting 48.5% from the field. The 6'2 junior from Eau Claire, Wisconsin has been a force down low for St. Cloud State all season and will look to propel the Huskies into a deep run.

GETTING THE JOB DONE EFFICIENTLY. St. Cloud State has been very efficient on offense and made life hard for opponents on defense this season propelling them to their 19-5 record. The Huskies rank 4th in the league in field goal percentage at 43.5% and 4th in field goal percentage defense at 39.2%. Also, The Huskies are 3rd in the league in 3pt percenrtage as well as they shoot 36.5% from beyond the arc and only allow their opponents to shoot 31.0% which is 5th in the NSIC.  

TEAM EFFORT. St. Cloud State utilizes a whole team effort to get the job done in their games. They have 5 players averaging double figures, and no player averaging more than 13.1 PPG. The Huskies use a committee approach to overwhelm their opponents and find themselves on the winning side of 19 of their last 24 games.

MINNESOTA CROOKSTON GOLDEN EAGLES
Head Coach: Mike Roysland (Bemidji State, 1980)
Career Record: 127-252 (14th Season at Minnesota Crookston)
2015 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Coach of the Year

MINNESOTA DULUTH BULLDOGS
Head Coach: Mandy Pearson (Concordia Moorhead)
UMD Record: 81-56 (Fifth Season at Minnesota Duluth)
Career Record: 173-163 (13th Season Overall)

ST. CLOUD STATE Huskies
Head Coach: Lori Fish (South Dakota State, 1990)
SCSU Record: 187-140 (12th Season at St. Cloud State)
Overall Record: 249-193 (16th Season Overall)

GAMEDAY

MINNESOTA DULUTH at MINNESOTA CROOKSTON
DATE: Fri., Feb. 21
TIME: 5:30 p.m.
SITE: Crookston, Minn.
ARENA: Lysaker Gymnasium
LIVE STATS: https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
LIVE VIDEO: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/crk/
TWITTER: @UMNCrookstonATH/@UMNCrookstonWBB

ST. CLOUD STATE at MINNESOTA CROOKSTON
DATE: Sat., Feb. 22
TIME: 3:30 p.m.
SITE: Crookston, Minn.
ARENA: Lysaker Gymnasium
LIVE STATS: https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
LIVE VIDEO: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/crk/
RADIO: 1260 KROX AM/105.7 FM
TWITTER: @UMNCrookstonATH/@UMNCrookstonWBB

KEYS TO THE WEEKEND

- Can the Golden Eagles hit crucial shots this weekend against the Bulldogs and Huskies?

- Can Minnesota Crookston put together four quarters in both games?

- Will the Golden Eagles be able to limit the looks for UMD's Brooke Olson on the weekend?

- Can Minnesota Crookston slow down St. Cloud State's Tori Wortz?

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

- Can Kylie Post have a big game off the bench for Minnesota Crookston?

- Can the Golden Eagles send Seniors Stephanie
McWilliams, Paige Weakley, and Amber Schoenicke off with a win?

- Can the Golden Eagles have strong defensive
 performances?