Golden Eagles Host Minnesota State Moorhead Inside Gary Senske Court at Lysaker Gymnasium in NSIC North Opener

It was a wild week inside the NSIC, especially in Crookston. Last weekend, the Golden Eagles hosted Concordia-St. Paul for two games to kick off the regular season. On Saturday afternoon, the Golden Eagles went into the halftime break with a two point lead. Coming out of the halftime break, it was all Golden Bears. The Golden Bears shot a whopping 64 percent from the field in the second half and 57 percent from behind the arc, to outscore Minnesota Crookston 46-20 in the second half and win, 80-56.

On Sunday afternoon, the Golden Eagles put together a full two-halves (and an overtime). The Golden Eagles raced out to an 11-0 lead, highlighted by a number of forced turnovers. The Golden Eagles would lead the entire way throughout the first half, to take a 40-34 lead into the halftime break. The second half would be a wild one. The Golden Bears would eventually tie the game at 72 after a pair of Jacob Shields free throws. The game would be a 74-74 game heading into overtime. Georges Darwiche would propel the Golden Eagles to a 1-1 record with a giant layup and the foul, to put the Golden Eagles up, 80-79. Minnesota Crookston would win, 84-80.

This weekend, an old rivalry is renewed at Gary Senske Court at Lysaker Gymnasium. Minnesota State University Moorhead comes into town after dropping two games to Augustana, who should be a force in the NSIC South.

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.

FAMILIAR FACE
Golden Eagle head coach is quite familiar with the Dragons. Before taking over at Minnesota Crookston before the 2013-14 season, Weisse was an assistant for three seasons under Dragons head coach Chad Walthall. It should be a fun meeting between Weisse, the former assistant and Walthall, the former boss of Weisse.

WE MEET AGAIN
A season ago, the Golden Eagles swept the Dragons for the first time since 2004-05. One win was a blowout victory at Lysaker Gymnasium and the other win was one of the most exciting wins in Golden Eagle basketball history. Ibu Jassey Demba will meet the Dragons yet again, after burying a three-point shot from the left wing in the closing seconds. This weekend's matchup should be a fun one with two teams fighting for a top-four spot in the NSIC North.

WELCOMED ADDITION
When a team has to replace a player like Harrison Cleary, the NSIC's all-time leading scorer, it might see some troubles early on. Through two games, the Golden Eagles might have found a recipe for success. Siena College transfer Georges Darwiche (Jr., G, Bucharest, Romania) and true freshman Josh Dilling (Fr., G, Oshkosh, Wis.) had a solid weekend in their Golden Eagle debut's. Darwiche scored a career-high 18 points, while dishing out four assists and pulling down six rebounds. Through two games, Darwiche is averaging 12.5 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game. Dilling also scored a career-high over the weekend, scoring 12 points in Saturday's loss. The lefty is averaging double-digits through his first two collegiate games.


OVERTIME STOPS 
Even though the stats might not fully show it, the Golden Eagles made large improvements this weekend on the defensive end. One of the big flaws for the Golden Eagles a season ago was the opponents shooting the three-ball effectively well last year. This weekend, CSP shot 13-47 from behind the arc, good for just 27 percent. Another key stat this weekend was the Golden Eagles forcing 32 turnovers this weekend, including 18 on Sunday. The Golden Eagles allowed just six points in the overtime period, which propelled the Golden Eagles to a win.


DO WHAT YOU DO, IBU
Unfortunately for Golden Eagle fans, they won't be able to watch the Golden Eagles play at home for the near future. Along with that, they won't be able to watch Ibu Jassey Demba (Sr., F, Birmingham, England), who quickly became a fan favorite with his energy and ability. This past weekend, he showed why he was a fan favorite. Jassey Demba is one of four Golden Eagles in double-figures and leads the team in three-point makes with five. The Golden Eagles relied on Jassey Demba for rebounding as well, pulling down 8.0 rebounds per game. Through two games, fans have to love what they are seeing from the lone senior on the roster this season.
LOCK HIM DOWN Q
For a team that struggled defensively a season ago, one of the bright spots on that end was then-freshman Quintin Winterfeldt (So., G, Waupun, Wis.). This weekend, Winterfeldt, now a sophomore, continued that strong play defensively. Winterfeldt drew the toughest assignment for CSP this past weekend and could get the same assignment this weekend, whether it is Bryce Irsfeld or Gavin Baumgartner for MSUM.

Game Information
Friday, Jan. 8
Minnesota State University Moorhead at Minnesota Crookston
Gary Senske Court at Lysaker Gymnasium
Live Stats – https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Live Video - https://nsicnetwork.com/goldeneaglesports/
 
Sunday, Jan. 9
Minnesota State University Moorhead at Minnesota Crookston
Gary Senske Court at Lysaker Gymnasium
Live Stats – https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Live Video - https://nsicnetwork.com/goldeneaglesports/


2020-21 NSIC Rankings
Scoring Offense: 9th
Scoring Defense: 12th
Scoring Margin: 14th
Free Throw Pct.: 6th
Field Goal Pct.: 11th
Field Goal Pct. Defense: 11th
3-Point Field Goal Pct.: 7th
3-Point Field Goal Pct. Defense: 6th
Rebounding Offense: 9th
Rebounding Defense: 14th
Rebounding Margin: 12th
Offensive Rebounds: 9th
Defensive Rebounds: 5th
Blocked Shots: 5th
Assists: 4th
Steals: 3rd
Turnover Margin: 12th
Assist/Turnover Ratio: 14th 





Weekly Snapshot

Minnesota Crookston
Projected Starters
Jr. PG 1 George Darwiche (6-1 188, Bucharest, Romania) 12.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.0 APG
R-Jr. SG 14 Brian Sitzmann (6-4 192, Savage, Minn.) 13.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG
Jr. G 11 Ethan Channel (6-4, 190, Beaverton, Ore.) 4.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG
Jr. PF 10 Ibu Jassey Demba (6-7 200, Birmingham, England) 10.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG
Jr. F/C 23 Morgan Carter (6-7, 215, Porthcawl, Wales) 3.5 PPG, 2.0 RPG
Top Bench Players
R-So. G 2 Zach Westphal (6-2, 155, West Fargo, N.D.) 2.0 PPG, 1.5 RPG
Jr. F 3 Leonard Dixon (6-7, 200, Demascus, Ore.) 5.0 PPG
Fr. G 12 Josh Dilling (6-4, 180, Oshkosh, Wis.) 11.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.0 APG
So. C 21 George Blaj-Voinescu (6-8, 210, Brasov, Romania) 3.5 PPG, 2.0 RPG
Fr. G/F 22 Quintin Winterfeldt (6-4 195, Waupun, Wis.) 4.5 PPG
 
Minnesota State University Moorhead
Projected Starters
Jr. G 1 Lorenzo McGhee (6-5, Decatur, Ga.) 17.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG
Jr. G 2 Bryce Irsfeld (6-0, Browerville, Minn.) 9.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG
Jr. G 12 Gavin Baumgartner (6-4, Plymouth, Minn.) 11.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG
So. F 24 Dane Zimmer (6-7, Hopkins, Minn.) 6.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG
Sr. F 32 Joe Sevlie (6-8, Red Wing, Minn.) 5.0 PPG
Top Bench Players
R-Fr. G 4 Jacob Beeninga (5-10, Maple Grove, Minn.) 12.0 PPG
Fr. G 11 Gabe Myren (6-3, Blaine, Minn.) 1.0 PPG
Jr. G 13 Siman Sem (6-4, Fargo, N.D.) 1.5 PPG
Sr. F 25 Gatdoar Kueth (6-6, Des Moine, Iowa) 11.0 PPG




STUDY THE OPPONENT

Minnesota State University Moorhead
 
This weekend should be a fun one at Gary Senske Court at Lysaker Gymnasium. The rivalry between the Golden Eagles and Dragons has grown in recent years. This weekend, the Dragons head into Crookston with a 0-2 record, with back-to-back home losses to 14^th-ranked Augustana last weekend at Nemzek Hall. The Dragons come into Crookston seventh in scoring in the NSIC, scoring 74.0 points per game.

MAN FROM NICHOLLS
 
Minnesota State Moorhead is Lorenzo McGhee's third stop in as many seasons. The junior from Decatur, Ga., spent his freshman season at Columbia State Community College, where he averaged 16 points a game. He then transferred to D-1 Nicholls State (La.), where he would appear in 28 games, with six starts for the Colonels. Through two games, McGhee might have found a home in Moorhead. He leads the team in scoring and scored a season-high 20 points in Sunday's loss to the Vikings.

BEING A DRAGON RUNS IN THE FAMILY
 
Being a fan in the NSIC, there is a very good chance that when you look at the Dragon roster, you have seen a Beeninga. First, it was Johnny Beeninga, who was on the roster for the previous four seasons. This year, it will be Jacob, who is a redshirt freshman. The younger Beeninga is averaging 12 points per game, including a career-high 18 points in Sunday's loss.

GUARD CENTRIC
 
This weekend could be a really good battle of the point guards. The Dragons have two solid guards in Bryce Irsfeld and Gavin Baumgartner. Baumgartner scored a season high 31 points in the loss to the Golden Eagles last December. Adding McGhee only makes the Dragon backcourt even more dangerous than it was a year ago.

WHAT TO WATCH
1. Battle of the guards (Darwiche/Dilling vs. Irsfeld/Baumgartner)

2. Can the Golden Eagles continue to shoot the ball well from deep?

3. Bench Points for the Golden Eagles

4. Rivalry in the NSIC

5. How will MSUM bounce back after dropping two in a row to Augustana?