• THE MINNESOTA CROOKSTON women's basketball team is coming off a split, as they earned a 64-53 win over Southwest Minnesota State and fell to No. 15/18 University of Sioux Falls 77-59 after leading 18-16 after the first quarter. Minnesota Crookston has started to come into their own, as they are 2-2 in the last four games. The Golden Eagles come into the weekend with a 4-16 (3-13 NSIC) mark. Minnesota Crookston sits in seventh in the NSIC North. They are currently a game back of Bemidji State University in sixth place. The Golden Eagles are shooting 37.5 percent from the field and 27.8 percent from beyond the arc. 

• FOX IN THE BOX. Minnesota Crookston sophomore Bren Fox had a great return last Friday after missing nearly a month of play due to illness. Fox tallied 16 points off the bench on 5-of-9 from the field, and 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. She tallied 12.5 points per game in the two games last weekend. On the season, Fox is averaging 8.0 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Fox was also strong defensively against the Mustangs last weekend, as she forced offensive fouls several times for Southwest Minnesota State. Fox will look to build off her performance against the Mustangs, as the Golden Eagles take on the Mavericks and Golden Bears on the road.

• DEAR ABBY. Minnesota Crookston junior Abby Guidinger has become Minnesota Crookston's go-to scoring option as evidenced by her team-leading 10.0 points per game on the 2019-20 season. Guidinger has scored in double figures in 10 of the last 14 games. Her best game came with 20 points in a win over Wayne State College. Guidinger had just four points in both games last weekend, but will look to get back on track against Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul.

• PEP IN HER STEP. Julia Peplinski has been a crucial player recently for the Golden Eagles. She was a big catalyst down low for the Golden Eagles in a win over Southwest Minnesota State. Peplinski tallied her second double-double of the season with 15 points and 13 rebounds. She shot 60.0 percent from the field, and also added three steals, as she was strong defensively for Minnesota Crookston. Peplinski comes into the weekend averaging 7.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. She is shooting 47.9 percent from the field 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 has been on the top of her game recently, as she has scored in double figures in four of the last five games. Her best game came with 20 points on 7-of-15 from the field in a win over Minot State University. Burke added 11 points last Saturday against Sioux Falls on 5-of-8 from the field. Burke enters the weekend notching 8.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. 

• 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 four of the last five games, narrowly missing it with five points against Sioux Falls last Saturday. Vetsch was strong in the win over Southwest Minnesota State last Friday with 11 points. She had her season-high in a win over Minot State with 18 points on 6-of-7 from the field and 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Vetsch is averaging 6.2 points per game for Minnesota Crookston.

• YOU'VE GOT A FREUND IN ME.  Minnesota Crookston junior Ashley Freund has been key on the glass in recent games for the Golden Eagles. Freund had five rebounds against UMary and Sioux Falls. She tallied four points off the bench in a win over Southwest Minnesota State in 15 minutes of play. Freund has been a great energy player off the bench, and has also showcased her defensive ability for the Golden Eagles. 

• DEFENSE DEFENSE DEFENSE.  The Golden Eagle defense helped shut down Southwest Minnesota State last Friday as they limited the Mustangs to 53 points. The defense held Southwest Minnesota State to 34.0 percent from the field and just 28.0 percent from beyond the arc. They helped force 27 turnovers on the game. Minnesota Crookston's defense will look to continue to be strong this weekend, as they take on Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul.
 

• AGAINST THE MAVERICKS.  Minnesota State has won the last three meetings between the two institutions. Minnesota Crookston's last win came with an 83-72 victory at Lysaker Gymnasium on Feb. 24, 2016. The Golden Eagles also picked up a win 91-90 on a last-second game-winning shot from Isieoma Odor on Jan. 16, 2016. That marked their last win at the Taylor Center in Mankato, Minn. Since 2010, the Golden Eagles are 3-7 against the Mavericks. 

• GUARDING THE GOLDEN BEARS.  Minnesota Crookston has won two of the last three tilts with Concordia-St. Paul. Concordia-St. Paul won the meeting last year on Feb. 9, 2019 67-59. Minnesota Crookston last won in St. Paul, Minn. on Jan. 27, 2018 with a 75-60 win. Minnesota Crookston is 4-6 since 2010 versus Concordia-St. Paul.

MINNESOTA STATE MANKATO. MSU Mankato has a 11-9 (8-8 NSIC) record coming into the weekend. The Mavericks are currently on a two game skid losing both games last weekend to MSU Moorhead and Northern State. Prior to those games, the Mavericks beat Wayne State by 10 and snuck by Augustana by 1. The Mavericks are one of the premier teams in the league at forcing turnovers and capitalizing with points off of those turnovers. Their opponents are averaging 21.2 turnovers per game while scoring 20.8 points per game off of those turnovers. Minnesota State Mankato is currently 5th in the NSIC South Division, and they are only one game back from 4th place and 2 games back from getting into a tie for 2nd place. 

CONTROL THE ROCK. Maddy Olson is one of the top defenders in the league as she is tasked with defending opposing teams point guards and doing a good job in doing so. Olson leads MSU Mankato in steals and is 6th in the NSIC in steals per game with 1.8 totaling 35 steals. 

AGENT 004. Kirstin Klitzke has been an integral part of Minnesota State Mankato's team this year. #4 is leading the team in scoring with 10.3 PPG while shooting 45.9% from the field, 40.7% from three and a scorching 95.0% from the field throw line. Klitzke also pulls down 3.0 rebounds per game for the Mavericks while leading them in minutes played with 24.3 MPG.

  

RUN IT UP. Minnesota State Mankato has had on of the league's most prolific offenses this year. They are averaging 74.3 PPG while holding their opponents to 70.4 PPG. The Mavericks will be looking to push the pace and score in bunches this weekend against UMC and CSP. 

DEEP BENCH. The Mavericks utilize their deep roster by playing 10 players more than 10 minutes per game. They have also inserted 8 different players in the starting lineup throughout the season. No player on the Maverick team averages more than 25 minutes per game as playing time is heavily distributed. MSU Mankato utilizes their pressure defense, uptempo offense, and deep bench to come at their opponents.  

CONCORDIA ST. PAUL. Concordia St. Paul enters the weekend with a 10-12 (7-9 NSIC) mark. The Golden Bears come into this weekend 6th in the NSIC South division, one game back from 5th place. CSP split last weekends games against Northern State and MSU Moorhead, while only losing to the Dragons by one point. Concordia St. Paul is one of the best 3-pt shooting teams in the conference as they are ranked 3rd in the league shooting 36.8% with 167 total makes. The Golden Bears are also scary in the paint where they lead the league in blocked shots. They are averaging 4.41 blocks per game for a total of 97. 

CONCORDIA + CROOKSTON CONNECTION. Freshman guard Jadyn Hanson is cousins with Minnesota Crookston Athletic Director, Stephanie Helgeson. Though the family connection is strong, Crookston will still be looking to get the upper hand this weekend against the Golden Bears.

DUBOIS IS EVERYWHERE. Meghan Dubois has been stuffing the stat sheets all season long. Not only is she scoring 10.2 PPG, but she is also leading the team in steals and assists with 43 and 76 respectively. DuBois is averaging 2.0 steals per game and 3.5 assists per game. DuBois is 10th in the conference in assists per game and 9th in assist/turnover ratio. In addition, DuBois leads the league in total steals with 43 and is 3rd with her 2.0 a game.

IRONWOMEN. Concordia St. Paul boasts 3 of the top 6 players in the conference in regards to minutes per game played. Danielle Schaub, Sidney Wentland, and Meghan DuBois are all top 6 in the league with over 33 minutes per game. Schaub is 3rd with 34.0, Wentland is 4th with 33.7, and DuBois is 6th with 33.5. These three among the rest of the team will look to pose problems all game for UMC and MSU Mankato this weekend.

MINNESOTA PROUD. All but one of the players on the Concordia St. Paul roster come from the state of Minnesota. Senior Forward Cassidy Byrd is the lone out of state player hailing from DeForest, Wisconsin. 12 of the 13 players on the roster coming from the same state to play for the Golden Bears has undoubtedly made them a close knit group and they will be looking to use that to their advantage for the remainder of the season. 

MINNESOTA CROOKSTON
Projected Starters
Fr. PG 21 Emma Carpenter (5-10, Eagan, Minn.)    2.7 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 1.8 APG
Fr. SG 15 Mattea Vetsch (5-8, Devils Lake, N.D. )    6.2 PPG, 2.6 RPG
Jr. 3G 12 Abby Guidinger (5-10, Waukesha, Wis.)    10.0 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.8 APG
R-Fr. SF 22 Mary Burke (5-11, Virginia, Minn.)     8.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG
So. PF 31 Julia Peplinski (5-10, Hustisford, Wis.)    7.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG

Top Bench Players
So. G 24 Paige Cornale (5-10, Oak Creek, Wis.)    3.8 PPG, 1.8 RPG
So. G 5 Kylie Post (5-7, Corcoran, Minn.)     6.2 PPG, 2.8 RPG
Fr. G 3 Alyssa Peterson (5-7, Menahga, Minn.)    5.8 PPG, 1.6 RPG
Jr. G/F 10 Ashley Freund (5-11, Jordan, Minn.)    2.5 PPG, 1.2 RPG
So. C 23 Bren Fox (6-3, Norwood Young American, Minn.)   8.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG

MINNESOTA STATE
Projected Starters
So. PG 10 Maddy Olson (5-4, Rosemount, Minn.)    5.8 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.8 APG
Sr. SG 4 Kirsten Klitzke (5-9, Montrose, Minn.)    10.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG
Jr. 3G 23 Tayla Stuttley (5-10, Onalaska, Wis.)    9.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG
Sr. F 30 Taylor Drost (6-1, Menomonee Falls, Wis.)     7.6 PPG, 2.8 RPG
So. C 50 Kristi Fett (6-5, Glenville, Minn.)     8.7 PPG, 5.9 RPG
Top Bench Players
Jr. F 45 Rachel Shumski (6-0, Granada, Minn.)    7.2 PPG, 5.2 RPG
Fr. G 1 Joey Batt (5-5, New Ulm, Minn.)     8.4 PPG, 2.3 RPG
Jr. F 32 Brooke Tonsfeldt (5-10, Moorhead, Minn.)    4.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG

CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL
Projected Starters
Jr. PG 3 Danielle Schaub (5-6, Brooklyn Park, Minn.)    12.2 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.0 APG 
So. SG 10 Meghan DuBois (5-7, Brookyln Park, Minn.)    10.2 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.5 APG
Jr. 3G 4 Sydney Wentland (5-11, Elk River, Minn.)    13.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.1 APG
So. F 20 Sydney Schultz (5-11, Owatonna, Minn.)    8.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG
Jr. F 31 Ayla Lemke (6-2, Two Harbors, Minn.)     4.4 PPG, 3.0 RPG
Top Bench Players
Fr. G 14 Jadyn Hanson (5-6, St. Michael, Minn.)    4.9 PPG, 1.9 RPG
Sr. F 25 Cassidy Byrd (6-1, DeForest, Wis.)     4.8 PPG, 3.7 RPG
R-Fr. F 1 Sydney Zgutowicz (5-11, St. Francis, Minn.)    3.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG