CROOKSTON, Minn. – Georges Darwiche (Jr., G, Bucharest, Romania) used an old-fashioned three-point play and key free throw shooting in overtime to lift the University of Minnesota Crookston to an 84-80 victory over Concordia University-St. Paul Sun., Jan. 3. The game was the second of a series played at Gary Senske Court at Lysaker Gymnasium.

The Golden Eagles move to 1-1 on the season, while the Golden Bears drop to 1-1.

Minnesota Crookston held the advantage the majority of the game until Concordia-St. Paul used a lay-up from Marcus Skeete with 46 seconds remaining to knot the game up 74-74. The Golden Eagles led by as many as 11 (45-34) early in the second half. The Golden Bears held a 78-75 lead with 1:15 remaining in the overtime period following a pair of Jacob Shields free throws. Darwiche stepped up big on the following possession with the old-fashioned three-point play. The Golden Eagles would hit crucial free throws to earn the 84-80 win.

Key Players
Darwiche, a NCAA Division I transfer from Siena College, finished with 18 points, six rebounds and four assists. Darwiche was crucial from the stripe going 6-of-7 on the night. Brian Sitzmann (R-Jr., G, Savage, Minn.), the seasoned veteran of the squad, led Minnesota Crookston with 19 points and added seven boards. Sitzmann was crucial in the second half as he came away with big shots to help stave off charges from a pesky Golden Bears side.

Josh Dilling (Fr., G, Oshkosh, Wis.) continued his strong start to his career as a Golden Eagle. The freshman had 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists to end the weekend averaging double figures. Ibu Jassey-Demba (Sr., F, Birmingham, England) finished with 12 points and eight rebounds.
The Golden Bears were led off the bench by Marcus Skeete with 22 points and seven rebounds. University of South Dakota transfer Caden Hoffman added 13 points, but was just 1-of-7 from beyond the arc. Jax Madson finished with 13 points, while Jacob Shields had 10 rebounds.

Foul Trouble
A key in the game was the foul trouble Concordia-St. Paul had, especially with Matt Johns and Shields. Johns, another Division I transfer from University of South Dakota, finished with three points and six rebounds after being a dominant force in Saturday's Golden Bear win with 19 points and seven rebounds. Shields and Johns both fouled out of the game.

Key Stats
The Golden Eagles shot 32-of-70 from the field for 45.7 percent. In the first half, UMN Crookston hit at a clip of 16-of-33 for 48.5 percent. Minnesota Crookston was 9-of-23 for 39.1 percent from beyond the arc, going 4-of-9 in the opening half. The Golden Eagles were 11-of-16 from the stripe for 68.8 percent. A crucial stats for UMN Crookston were free throws in overtime, as the Golden eagles were 6-of-8 for 75.0 percent in the most crucial moments of the game.

Concordia-St. Paul finished the game 30-of-67 for 44.8 percent. Minnesota Crookston shut the Golden Bears down from beyond the arc as CSP was just 4-of-26 for 15.4 percent.

The Golden Eagles lost the rebounding edge to the Golden Bears 41-38. Both teams finished Sunday's contest with 18 turnovers.

Key Runs
Minnesota Crookston rocketed out of the gate with an 11-0 run guided by five points from Morgan Carter (Jr., F, Porthcawl, Wales). The Golden Eagles would hold several double-digit leads in the opening half, but the Golden Bears would be able to cut the deficit to 38-34 with 45 seconds left following a Carlos Barela free throw. Quintin Winterfeldt (So., G/F, Waupun, Wis.) pushed the lead to 40-34 going into the locker room.

Minnesota Crookston moved out to an 11-point lead early on in the second half after a Darwiche trey. Concordia-St. Paul responded with a 9-0 run as a pair of Shields free throws cut the Golden Bear deficit to two with under 16 minutes left in regulation. A key bucket from Sitzmann pushed the lead back out to four for UMN Crookston. The Golden Eagles got the lead back out to eight with over six minutes remaining in regulation following a Winterfeldt basket. However, the Golden Bears did not give in as they continued to push Minnesota Crookston, knotting the game up on Skeete's basket with 46 seconds remaining. The Golden Eagles got a final half-court heave from Sitzmann, but it would fall short signaling overtime.

Concordia-St. Paul obtained the lead early in overtime and held on for a 78-76 advantage with 1:15 remaining. Darwiche came through with a three-point play, while Darwiche and Dilling each hit crucial free throws down the stretch as Minnesota Crookston came away with the win.

Up Next
Minnesota Crookston will remain at home to take on Minnesota State University Moorhead Fri., Jan. 8 at 5:30 p.m. and Sat., Jan. 9 at 1:30 p.m.