• THE MINNESOTA CROOKSTON women's basketball team will look to continue their 2019-20 season as they open up the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament Wed., Feb. 26 at Taylor Center in Mankato, Minn. The Golden Eagles are looking to make it back to the Sanford Pentagon for the first time since the 2016-17 season when current seniors Paige Weakley, Stephanie McWilliams, and Amber Schoenicke were freshmen. Minnesota Crookston is looking to make their fourth NSIC/Sanford Health quarterfinals appearance in six seasons. The Golden Eagles will look to build off their performance against No. 2 NSIC North seed St. Cloud State last Saturday. Minnesota Crookston picked up a 79-72 victory over the Huskies. The Golden Eagles shot 50.0 percent from the field, 40.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 89.5 percent from the charity stripe.

• WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER. With a Minnesota Crookston win, the Golden Eagles will advance to take on the winner of University of Mary and Southwest Minnesota State University Sun., March 1 at 2:30 p.m., at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.

• POST GAME. Minnesota Crookston sophomore Kylie Post had one of her best games as a Golden Eagle last Saturday against St. Cloud State. Post was able to utilize her speed to get to the bucket and create for her teammates. Post tallied 20 points on 6-of-10 from the field and 8-of-9 from the foul line. Post added five rebounds on the game. The native of Corcoran, Minn., will look to bring her Post Game to Minnesota State this Wednesday. Post comes in averaging 7.1 points per game on the 2019-20 season.

• PEP IN HER STEP. Julia Peplinski has been a crucial player recently for the Golden Eagles. Peplinski comes in
notching 7.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. The Hustisford, Wis., native had seven games this season where she scored
double figures. Peplinski had a season-high 19 points at home against UMary. Peplinski will look to get to the hoop and have a strong game for Minnesota Crookston in the first round against Minnesota State.

• 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 is leading the Golden Eagles with 9.2 points per game. Burke is coming off 13 points and six rebounds in last Saturday's win over St. Cloud State. Burke had a career-high 21 points on the road against UMary on 8-of-13 from the field, and 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. Burke will be key for Minnesota Crookston to find success this week against Minnesota State.

• CLOSE TO HOME.  Minnesota Crookston has a couple of players in Bren Fox (Norwood Young America, Minn.) and Jennifer Lax (Sleepy Eye, Minn.), who are playing very close to home this weekend in Mankato, Minn., as the Golden Eagles look to continue their 2019-20 season.

• SENIOR DAY.  It was an emotional moment last Saturday, as Seniors Amber Schoenicke, Stephanie McWilliams, and Paige Weakley got the start in their final home game at Lysaker Gymnasium. McWilliams and Weakley both have suffered knee injuries that ended their careers but were able to get on the court one last time. Weakley played it to McWilliams off the tip, as McWilliams stepped out of bounds and both saw their careers end as they walked to the sidelines to greet their teammates. Schoenicke also had quite the Senior Day, in her second career start she played a big role with six points for Minnesota Crookston.

• MATTEA MAGIC.  Minnesota Crookston freshman Mattea Vetsch has shown the capability to be the knock-down three-pointer shooter the Golden Eagles seek. Vetsch had a big game last Saturday against St. Cloud with 18 points on 6-of-11 from the field, and 3-of-8 from beyond the arc. Vetsch, a native of Devils Lake, N.D., is shooting 32.3 percent from beyond the arc. She has tallied eight games with double-figure scoring on the 2019-20 season. Vetsch is averaging 6.8 points per game during her freshman season.

• CALL THE CARPENTER.  Minnesota Crookston freshman Emma Carpenter has continued to find her groove as a freshman. Carpenter has an exciting career ahead of her and it has showed. Carpenter had 11 points and four assists in a win last Saturday against St. Cloud State. She was 2-of-4 from beyond the arc last Saturday against the Huskies. Carpenter is averaging 7.2 points per game in the last six tilts for Minnesota Crookston.

• MEETING THE MAVERICKS.  Minnesota State has won the last four games in the series against Minnesota Crookston. The Golden Eagles last won at Lysaker Gymnasium Feb. 24, 2016 with an 83-72 win. Minnesota Crookston's last victory at the Taylor Center came on Jan. 16, 2016 with a 91-90 victory after an Isieoma Odor last-second lay-in sent Minnesota Crookston to victory. The Mavericks won the regular-season meeting 89-68 at the Taylor Center. Minnesota State was led by 18 points from Kristi Fett. Rachel Shumski added 14 points, while Joey Batt had 11 points. Minnesota Crookston looked to Mary Burke with 13 points. Mattea Vetsch added 12 points, while Julia Peplinski finished with 10 points.

MINNESOTA STATE MANKATO. MSU Mankato comes into the weekend as the #2 seed in the NSIC South. They currently have a 16-10 overall record and a 13-9 record within the NSIC. The Mavericks had a huge weekend last week as they swept both opponents to place them in the #2 spot. There are 3 teams in the south with 12 wins, and 2 teams with 11 wins, so winning both games last weekend was vital for the Mavericks to ensure they landed the #2 seed. Minnesota State has the most prolific offense in the league as they average 76.4 PPG and they also crash the glass hard where they are second in the league in offensive rebounds with 403 offensive boards on the season. However, the Mavericks utilize their defense to get a jump on their opponents. The Mavericks lead the league in turnover margin with a margin of 7.08 and they force their opponents into 21.3 turnovers per game.

BIG IN THE PAINT. Kristi Fett has been leading the way for Minnesota State this season. Fett is averaging 9.9 PPG which leads the team and pulling down 6.3 RPG which also leads the team. Fett controls the paint where she gives her team so many opportunities by pulling in 67 offensive rebounds on the year. Fett also is big in the paint on defense where she leads the team in blocks with 29. Her 29 blocks gives her an average of 1.1 BPG and lands her 7th in the conference in this category.

STEALS FOR THE SOPHOMORE. Maddy Olson is one of the best defenders in the conference. Olson leads the team in steals with 45 total steals and 1.7 per game. Although the sophomore guard only plays 19.1 minutes per game, she makes the most of them by hounding the opposing team and setting the tone for her team on both sides of the ball.

PESKY DEFENSE. Minnesota State has been one of the best defensive teams this year, and they do it in an uptempo style. Although the Mavericks give up 69.5 PPG, which puts them 11th in the league, part of this has to do with the amount of possessions that are played in their games. The Mavericks like to play fast and it pays off as they lead the league in turnovers forced and has propelled them into the 2nd place spot in the NSIC South. The Mavericks force 21.3 turnovers per game and bring in 12.58 steals per game. Whether the Mavericks are stealing the ball, or forcing their opponents into bad decisions, their defense is as pesky as it gets.

HOME COOKING. Minnesota State has enjoyed their team in the Taylor Center this season. The Mavericks are 12-2 on the season in the Taylor Center and have not lost there since December 7th when they played the #11 team in the country, Sioux Falls. The Mavericks have an average of 728 fans waiting for them inside the arena every home game, and they will be counting on them one more time this weekend.

MINNESOTA CROOKSTON GOLDEN EAGLES
Head Coach: Mike Roysland (Bemidji State, 1980)
Career Record: 128-253 (14th Season at Minnesota Crookston)
2015 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Coach of the Year

MINNESOTA STATE MAVERICKS
Head Coach: Emilee Thiesse (Nebraska Kearney, 2003)
Career Record: 138-91 (Eighth Season at Minnesota State)

WEEKLY SNAPSHOT

MINNESOTA CROOKSTON
Projected Starters
Fr. PG 21 Emma Carpenter (5-10, Eagan, Minn.) 3.7 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 1.7 APG
So. SG 5 Kylie Post (5-7, Corcoran, Minn.) 7.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.7 APG
Fr. 3G 3 Alyssa Peterson (5-7, Menahga, Minn.) 6.0 PPG, 1.3 RPG
R-Fr. SF 22 Mary Burke (5-11, Virginia, Minn.) 9.2 PPG, 4.3 RPG
So. PF 31 Julia Peplinski (5-10, Hutisford, Wis.) 7.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG

Top Bench Players
Fr. 3G 15 Mattea Vetsch (5-8, Devils Lake, N.D.) 6.8 PPG, 2.4 RPG
So. C 23 Bren Fox (6-3, Norwood Young America, Minn.) 7.7 PPG, 6.6 RPG
So. G 24 Paige Cornale (5-10, Oak Creek, Wis.) 3.3 PPG, 1.5 RPG
Jr. F 12 Abby Guidinger (5-10, Waukesha, Wis.) 8.4 PPG, 3.2 RPG
Sr. F/C 14 Amber Schoenicke (6-1, Marshall, Wis.) 1.9 PPG, 1.1 RPG

MINNESOTA STATE
Projected Starters
So. PG 10 Maddy Olson (5-4, Rosemount, Minn.) 8.0 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.0 APG
Sr. G 4 Kirstin Klitzke (5-9, Montrose, Minn.) 9.4 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.8 APG
Jr. 3G 23 Tayla Stuttley (5-10, Onalaska, Wis.) 9.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG
Sr. F 30 Taylor Drost (6-1, Menomonee Falls, Wis.) 7.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG
So. C 50 Kristi Fett (6-5, Glenville, Minn.) 9.9 PPG, 6.3 RPG
Top Bench Players
Fr. G 1 Joey Batt (5-5, New Ulm, Minn.) 9.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG
Jr. F 45 Rachel Shumski (6-0, Granada, Minn.) 7.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG
Jr. F 32 Brooke Tonsfeldt (5-10, Moorhead, Minn.) 4.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG



GAMEDAY

MINNESOTA CROOKSTON at MINNESOTA STATE
DATE: Wed., Feb. 25
TIME: 5:30 p.m.
SITE: Mankato, Minn.
ARENA: Taylor Center
LIVE STATS: https://msumavericks.com/sidearmstats/wbball/media
LIVE VIDEO: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/mnsu/
RADIO: 1260 KROX AM/105.7 FM
TWITTER: @UMNCrookstonATH/@UMNCrookstonWBB


KEYS TO THE GAME

- Can the Golden Eagles limit Kristi Fett in the post against Minnesota State?

- Can Minnesota Crookston find success from beyond the arc?

- Will the Golden Eagles be able to put together four quarters of play?

- Can Minnesota Crookston make it back to the Sanford Pentagon for the first time since the 2016-17 season?

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

- Can Kylie Post have a follow-up game to last Saturday's 20 points against St. Cloud State?

- Can the Golden Eagles make it to Sioux Falls for the fourth time in six years?

- Can Minnesota Crookston get their first win at the Taylor Center since Jan. 16, 2016?