Crookston, Minn. – It was the start of a brand new season for Minnesota Crookston Men's Basketball who traveled to Duluth to take on East Central University (Okla.) to compete in the American Family Insurance Classic hosted by Minnesota Duluth.
 
It was a wild affair that literally came down to the final seconds, but fifth-year senior Brian Sitzmann (R-Sr., G, Savage, Minn.) buried a fade away two on the left baseline with zero time remaining to give the Golden Eagles a 72-70 victory over East Central.
 
With the win, Minnesota Crookston starts the season 1-0 for the first time since 2016-17, while the Tigers fall to 0-1.
 
The Golden Eagles would get off to a great start, scoring the first four points of the game on a Zen Goodridge (R-Jr., C, Orlando, Fla.) and an Ethan Channel (R-Jr., G, Beaverton, Ore.) layup.
 
Uzo Dibiamaka (R-So., G, Adelaide, South Australia) would score three of his team-high 17 points to give the Golden Eagles a 7-2 lead.
 
Josh Apple would score five straight points to tie the game up at seven.
 
The Golden Eagles would regain their five-point lead after a Nathaniel Powell (R-So., C, Nottingham, England) layup and another Dibiamaka layup.
 
Minnesota Crookston would eventually take a 10-point lead with five points from their two seniors, Sitzmann and Zach Westphal (R-Sr., G, West Fargo, N.D.).
 
Powell would give the Golden Eagles their largest lead of the first half, highlighted by an old-fashioned three-point play to stretch the lead to 29-14.
 
A Channel three-point make from deep with six seconds left to give the Golden Eagles a 34-23 lead heading into the halftime break.
 
The Tigers wouldn't go away quietly. Brennan Burns would bury a jumper seven seconds into the half to cut the lead to single digits, but Leonard Dixon (R-Jr., F, Demascus, Ore.) would make a layup to get the lead back to 11.
 
ECU would cut the lead to five with 17:35 remaining, but Sitzmann would score five in a row, including a three from the left wing to make it 42-32
 
East Central would go on a 10-2 run in the span of three minutes to cut into the Golden Eagle lead and make it 44-42, but Westphal would halt the run with a jumper.
 
Later on in the half, Jalen Crutchfield would score two of his 26 points to knot the game up at 48.
 
Both teams would go a lengthy amount of time without scoring, but the Golden Eagles turned to Dibiamaka to bury a three, which he did to give the Golden Eagles the lead back at 51-48.
 
The Tigers would then take their largest lead of the game at 58-53 with less than six minutes remaining.
 
Dibiamaka would score five-straight points, including a three to tie thing up at 61 all with 3:09 remaining. That's when the fun started.
 
Westphal would score six straight points, all in the and-one category, as the Golden Eagles would go up 67-65.
 
With the game tied at 67, Dibiamaka would drive into the point and make a tough layup through contact, which was originally called a charge. The referee's reviewed the play and reversed the call, calling it a block. Dibiamaka would make the free throw to make it 70-67.
 
Minnesota Crookston would then get a stop defensively, but a pair of misses at the charity strip for the maroon and gold would leave the door open for East Central.
 
Crutchfield would come down and bury a three to tie things up at 70, but Sitzmann would get a feed from Dixon and hit a tough shot at the buzzer to win the game for the Golden Eagles, 72-70. It was the first win at the buzzer for the Golden Eagles since Ibu Jassey Demba's three over MSU Moorhead in December of 2019.
 
The Golden Eagles had four scorers in double-figures, led by Dibiamaka's 17. Westphal had 12 on 5-8 shooting from the field, while Channel also had 12 points. Sitzmann finished with 10 points, none bigger than the final two. Dixon had seven points, while pulling down 13 rebounds, leading the team. The Golden Eagles outrebounded the Tigers 40-28.
 
Minnesota Crookston shot 49.1 percent from the field, while holding the Tigers to shoot under 40 percent. The Golden Eagles had 21 bench points, compared to just two from the Tigers.
 
What's Next
The Golden Eagles finish up the American Family Insurance Classic tomorrow afternoon as they take on Nebraska-Kearney. The Golden Eagles and Lopers will tip-off at 2 P.M.