Golden Eagles Head to Bismarck to Take on Marauders This Weekend
This weekend, Minnesota Crookston will look to get back on track as they travel to the state capital of North Dakota to take on the Marauders of the University of Mary.

The Golden Eagles will be looking for their first win in conference play this weekend. A weekend ago, the Golden Eagles were swept by Minot State. In Saturday night's affair, the Golden Eagles were down by as many as 16 with six minutes left in the game, before going on a 16-3 run to cut the Beaver lead to as little as two. However, the Beavers were able to prevail and sweep Minnesota Crookston.

The Golden Eagles and Marauders always seem to play tight ball games. A season ago, the Marauders were one of two teams that were swept by the Golden Eagles. The Golden Eagles won both games by three and six points, respectively. The Golden Eagles will look to extend their winning streak over the Marauders to three games this weekend in Bismarck.
BISHOP STRONG
The Golden Eagles family is dealing with a major loss to its family. Former KROX announcer Matt Bishop passed away in December after a long battle with cancer. Matt loved announcing Golden Eagle games and will always be a part of the Golden Eagle family.

HEADING TO THE CAPITAL
The Golden Eagles have had success in recent years against the Marauders, winning three out of the four past meetings between the two NSIC rivals. A season ago, the Golden Eagles swept the Marauders, including a thrilling six point victory last season in Bismarck. It's a new team for both squads, but the Golden Eagles will look to continue the momentum they have over the Marauders this weekend.

DILL(ING) PICKLE PLEASE
That's weird, another Wisconsin native playing well in a Golden Eagle uniform. Josh Dilling, who started for the second straight weekend, scored a career-high 23 points in Saturday's loss to the Beavers as well as burying a career-high nine makes from the field. Dilling now leads the team in scoring on the season with 11.1 PPG.

B IS KEY
One of just five returners heading into this season, redshirt junior Brian Sitzmann was going to be counted on to be a key contributor. So far, so good for the Savage, Minn., native. Sitzmann has scored in double-figures the past three games, while shooting just under 40 percent from the field in those three games. Sitzmann is one of the best defenders wearing the maroon and gold and is turning into a force on offense as well.

CASH IN WHEN YOU CAN 
It's called a free throw for a reason. It's free points. The Golden Eagles have done a great job getting those points this season. Minnesota Crookston is shooting 75.9 percent from the charity stripe this season, led by Dilling, who is shooting 18 of 19 from the stripe this season.

THREE-POINT THREAT
Leonard Dixon, a JUCO transfer from Demascus, Ore., has added something the Golden Eagles have been searching for: a three-point threat. Dixon leads the team in three-point makes with 12 and is shooting 40 percent from deep. Dixon has a three ball in every game this season and has made multiple three's in three different games this season.
CHANGE HIS NAME TO WESTRISE
West Fargo native Zach Westphal had his best game as a Golden Eagle in Saturday's loss. The redshirt sophomore scored a career-high nine points in the loss, while shooting 4-5 from the field and pulling down two rebounds. Westphal is a valuable piece to the Golden Eagles, both on and off the court.

Game Information
Friday, Jan. 29
6:00 P.M.
Minnesota Crookston at UMary
McDowell Activity Center
Live Stats – https://goumary.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Live Video - https://nsicnetwork.com/goumary/
 
Game Information
Sat., Jan. 30
4:00 P.M.
Minnesota Crookston at UMary
McDowell Activity Center
Live Stats – https://goumary.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Live Video - https://nsicnetwork.com/goumary/


2020-21 NSIC Rankings
Scoring Offense: 14th
Scoring Defense: 13th
Scoring Margin: 15th
Free Throw Pct.: 5th
Field Goal Pct.: 11th
Field Goal Pct. Defense: 16th
3-Point Field Goal Pct.: 13th
3-Point Field Goal Pct. Defense: 8th
Rebounding Offense: 15th
Rebounding Defense: 10th
Rebounding Margin: 12th
Offensive Rebounds: 11th
Defensive Rebounds: 15th
Blocked Shots: 12th
Assists: 14th
Steals: 13th
Turnover Margin: 14th
Assist/Turnover Ratio: 14th 


Weekly Snapshot

Minnesota Crookston
Projected Starters
Fr. G 12 Josh Dilling (6-4, 180, Oshkosh, Wis.) 11.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG
R-Jr. SG 14 Brian Sitzmann (6-4 192, Savage, Minn.) 10.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG
Jr. PG 1 George Darwiche (6-1 188, Bucharest, Romania) 8.7 PPG, 2.3 RPG  
Sr. PF 10 Ibu Jassey Demba (6-7 200, Birmingham, England) 7.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG
Jr. F 3 Leonard Dixon (6-7, 200, Demascus, Ore.) 8.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG
Top Bench Players
  Jr. G 11 Ethan Channel (6-4, 190, Beaverton, Ore.) 10.0 PPG, 4.9 RPG  
R-So. G 2 Zach Westphal (6-2, 155, West Fargo, N.D.) 2.4 PPG
Jr. F/C 23 Morgan Carter (6-7, 215, Porthcawl, Wales) 3.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG
So. C 21 George Blaj-Voinescu (6-8, 210, Brasov, Romania) 2.3 PPG, 1.2 RPG
Fr. G/F 22 Quintin Winterfeldt (6-4 195, Waupun, Wis.) 5.8 PPG, 1.3 RPG
 
University of Mary
Projected Starters
Jr. G 2 Trevor Kaiser (6-2, 200, Dassel, Minn.) 19.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG
Sr. G 4 Glenn Jordan (6-1, 180, Tacoma, Wash.) 5.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG
Sr. F 22 Wyatt Carr (6-5, 225, Hazen, N.D.) 6.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG
So. G 34 Josh Sipes (6-3, 185, Bismarck, N.D.) 5.9 PPG, 3.8 RPG
Sr. F 44 Matthew Kreklow (6-9, 220, Maple Plain, Minn.) 15.4 PPG, 8.1 RPG
Top Bench Players
Fr. G 0 Deven Franks (6-1, 160, Queen Creek, Ariz.) 4.3 PPG, 1.8 RPG
Jr. F 24 Kam Warrens (6-5, 205, Antelope, Calif.) 3.9 PPG, 1.9 RPG
R-Fr. G 10 Treyton Mattern (6-2, 190, Bismarck, N.D.) 3.8 PPG, 1.6 RPG
Jr. F 33 Lucas Mayer (6-7, 205, Bismarck, N.D.) 3.6 PPG, 2.4 RPG
R-Fr. G 1 Matthew Johnson (6-1, 180, Fergus Falls, Minn.) 2.5 PPG




STUDY THE OPPONENT

University of Mary
 
The Marauders will head into this weekend with a chance to move up the NSIC North rankings. The Marauders are currently 3-3 in the conference, good for fourth in the North. The top four teams advance to Sioux Falls and the NSIC Playoffs. This is a huge chance for the Marauders this weekend to continue to move up in the rankings against the Golden Eagles, who will be looking to play spoiler.

KREKWOW!
To say Matthew Kreklow has been really, really good this season would be a massive understatement. The senior has scored double-digits in all but one game this season, scoring just three points in a loss to Minnesota Duluth. Kreklow averaged 22.5 points per game in his first two games against nationally-ranked Sioux Falls. Kreklow is second on the team in scoring, averaging just over 15 PPG on the season. Kreklow is a tough matchup for every opponent UMary plays.


DYNAMIC DUO
 
The aforementioned Kreklow and junior Trevor Kaiser have been a good 1-2 punch through eight games for UMary. The duo are averaging 35 PPG on the season, while Kaiser has scored 20 points in four games this season, including 31 last Saturday against Bemidji State. This duo might be one of the best, but underappreciated in the league.

LID ON THE BASKET
 
Defensively, UMary has been good through eight games. The Marauders have held their opponents to shoot just 43.8 percent from the field, which would be good for sixth in the NSIC. In a loss to USF in the second game of the season, the Marauders held the Cougars to just 33 percent shooting from the field. UMary makes opponents work to get good shots.

WHAT TO WATCH
1. Can Minnesota Crookston make it two in a row in Bismarck?

2. Will the Golden Eagles be at full strength this weekend?

3. Can Minnesota Crookston pick up their first NSIC North win?

4. Defensive side of the ball for the Golden Eagles

5. Rebounding for Minnesota Crookston