Minnesota Crookston Men's Basketball Looks to Continue Winning Ways at Dacotah Bank Classic


#TIDBITS

Golden Eagle men's basketball picked up a huge win over Highway-2 rivals Bemidji State to open up conference play 1-0 for the first time since 2019, which also came at home against Bemidji State. The win over the Beavers snapped a brief three-game losing streak and now the Golden Eagles will look to continue their winning ways this weekend as they take on NAIA Presentation College and Midwestern State (Texas) in the Dacotah Bank Classic, hosted by NSIC foe Northern State.

• DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE. In Tuesday night's win over Bemidji State, the Golden Eagles might have played their best defense in a long time. Coming into Tuesday's conference opener, BSU was second in the conference averaging 96.0 points per game, including a 110 point output against Northland College of Wisconsin. The Beavers scored just 57 points against the Golden Eagles and shot just 33 percent from the field, marking the second time in five games that the Golden Eagles have done that, both were victories.

• VALUABLE PIECE. Valuable might be an understatement for how important Uzo Dibiamaka is to the Golden Eagles. Dibiamaka has come in and has made a huge impact already in his redshirt sophomore season. The native from the Land Down Under is second on the team in scoring at 11.6 per game and has scored in double-figures in four out of the five games. The lefty also is third on the team in rebounding and leads the team in assists with 3.8 a game. Dibiamaka is a huge piece to the Golden Eagle puzzle this season.

• NO CHANCE ON THE GLASS. A huge part of Tuesday's win was the Golden Eagles dominance on the glass. It marked the fourth time this season that the Golden Eagles have outrebounded their opponent and the second time doing it by double-digits. The Golden Eagles won the rebounding battle 50-34, including 18 offensive rebounds, their most in a game since they pulled down 17 in the 2019 NSIC Sanford Health Quarterfinals played at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. It was also the first 50 rebound game as a team since they did it in 2019 as well, when they grabbed 60 rebounds against Oak Hills Christian. That might be a good omen.

• THEY LOVE LEO. Leonard Dixon is becoming a fan favorite in Crookston. When you score 19 points to help lead your team to a conference-opening victory, it's easy to see why. Dixon scored 19 points, the second time he has gotten to that number this season, while also making nine field goals, a season-high. Dixon also grabbed nine rebounds and had a career-high five steals against the Beavers. Dixon is currently third on the team in scoring.

• ON FIRE TO START. Ethan Channel currently leads his squad in scoring, averaging 12.8 points per game. Channel has shot the ball well through five games, shooting 56.5 percent from the field and has made half of his shots from deep (6-12). Channel is currently 11th in the conference in shooting percentage. Channel and the Golden Eagles hope that he continues to shoot the ball well this weekend against the Saints and Mustangs.

• FULL FORTY. The Golden Eagles put a full 40 minutes together against their Highway-2 rivals on Tuesday. Four days prior, the Golden Eagles went on an 18-0 run in the second half against Michigan Tech, but it wasn't enough to dig them out of a 23-point halftime deficit. On Tuesday, the Golden Eagles took a 24-22 lead late in the first half and never looked back. Minnesota Crookston led by five at the half, eventually stretched their lead to 14 in the second half and won by double-digits. The Golden Eagles played with energy throughout the entire game and that has to be a good sign for Weisse and his Golden Eagles.

• YOU CAN'T SCORE IF IT DOESN'T GET TO THE RIM. The Golden Eagles will head into the Dacotah Bank Classic currently ranked third in the NSIC in blocks per game at exactly four per game as a team, trailing only Minnesota State and Wayne State, respectively. Minnesota Crookston swatted seven blocks against the Beavers, marking the second time the Golden Eagles have had seven blocks, both of which have been put in the win column. It's a stat that often flies under the radar, but it has led to wins this season for the maroon and gold.


Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Dan Weisse
Record at UMC: 60-121 Season at UMC: Eighth Season


Presentation College Saints
Head Coach: Stan Holt
Record at PC: 7-5 Season at PC: First Season


Midwestern State University Mustangs
Head Coach: Justin Leslie
Record at MSU: 21-31 Season at MTU: Third Season


Weekly Snapshot
Minnesota Crookston
Projected Starters
R-Jr. G 10 Uzo Dibiamaka (6-3, Adelaide, South Australia) 11.6 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.8 APG
R-Jr. G 1 Ethan Channel (6-4, Beaverton, Ore.) 12.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG
R-Sr. G 14 Brian Sitzmann (6-4, Savage, Minn.) 9.6 RPG, 3.6 RPG
R-Jr. F 11 Leonard Dixon (6-7, Demascus, Ore.) 10.6 PPG, 6.8 RPG
R-Jr. C 15 Zen Goodridge (6-8, Orlando, Fla.) 4.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG
Top Bench Players
R-Sr. G 2 Zach Westphal (6-2, West Fargo, N.D.) 5.2 PPG, 2.8 RPG
R-Jr. F 23 Marcus Thompson (6-6, Brooklyn, N.Y.) 0.5 PPG
R-So. C 13 Nathaniel Powell (6-9, Nottingham, England) 5.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG
R-So. G 3 Dylan Hushaw (6-2, Las Vegas, Nev.) 4.0 PPG 1.8 RPG

PRESENTATION COLLEGE
Projected Starters
Sr. F 0 Ian Kelly (6-5, Denver, Colo.) 7.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG
So. G 2 Jeremiah Gilyard (6-3, Palatka, Fla.) 9.7 PPG, 1.9 RPG
Fr. G 20 Isaac Sumption (6-0, Frederick, S.D.) 5.7 PPG, 1.7 RPG
Fr. G 21 Lavell Brown (6-1, San Antonio, Tex.) 7.7 PPG, 2.2 RPG
So. C 33 Maximo Guillermo (6-11, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) 4.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG
Top Bench Players
Sr. G 1 Eric Montanez (6-4, Chester, Pa.) 3.0 PPG, 1.5 RPG
Sr. F 3 Denzel McDuffy (6-4, Jackson, Miss.) 13.5 PPG, 7.8 RPG
Jr. G 5 Justin Steed (6-0, Queens, N.Y.) 6.8 PPG, 1.5 RPG
Fr. F 35 Kiegan Phung (6-3, Bountiful, Utah) 3.0 PPG, 1.7 RPG

Midwestern State
Projected Starters
Sr. F 4 Jalin Brown (6-8, Denton, Texas) 5.3 PPG, 5.5 RPG
Jr. F 5 Jamey Sanders (6-5, Memphis, Tenn.) 9.3 PPG, 2.3 RPG
Jr. G 10 Terrell Wilson (5-11, Dallas, Texas) 12.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG
Jr. F 15 Jermane Carter (6-7, Mount Laurel, N.J.) 15.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG
So. G 23 Pierre Sanders (5-10, Hutto, Texas) 10.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG
Top Bench Players
Fr. G 3 Jordan Teal (6-3, Austin, Texas) 6.8 PPG, 4.0 RPG
So. F 12 Amaechi Chukwu (6-5, Denton, Texas) 5.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG
Sr. G 22 John Weger (6-3, Muenster, Texas) 5.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG
Sr. F 30 Luke Hamilton (6-8, Austin, Texas 5.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG


NSIC Rankings

Scoring Offense: 16th
Scoring Defense: 13th
Scoring Margin: 15th
Free Throw Pct.: 13th
Field Goal Pct.: 12th
Field Goal Pct. Defense: 8th
3-Point Field Goal Pct.: 13th
3-Point Field Goal Pct. Defense: 15th
Rebounding Offense: 6th
Rebounding Defense: 11th
Rebounding Margin: 9th
Blocked Shots: 3rd
Assists: 16th
Steals: 15th
Turnover Margin: 16th
Assist/Turnover Ratio: 16th
Offensive Rebounds: 6th
Defensive Rebounds: 9th


#OPPONENTOUTLOOK

PRESENTATION COLLEGE. The Saints come into this weekend having already played 12 games on the season. Although this will technically be a neutral court game, it will feel like a home game for Presentation College, whose campus is located in Aberdeen. The Saints, who are an NAIA school have already played 13 games on the season, where they have a 7-6 record. The Saints have played South Dakota State, the University of South Dakota and will play Northern State and the University of North Dakota to close out the month.

LAUNCH THE THREE.  The Saints shoot the three, a lot. The Saints have seven games this season with 20 or more three-point attempts on the season and made 15-31 against Calvary College two games ago. They shoot it pretty well from deep as well, shooting 37.8 percent from deep.

NO CUPCAKE HERE. This year, Presentation College has scheduled tough. By the time the year ends, they will have played three Division I opponents (SDSU, USD, UND) and two Division II opponents (Minnesota Crookston and Northern State). The tough schedule should help the Saints get some wins when they play their NAIA schedule.

FIRE POWER OFF THE BENCH. Denzel McDuffy has started in nine games this season, but he has brought value off the bench as well for the Saints this season. The senior from Jackson, Miss., leads the Saints in scoring at 13.5 points per game and leads the team in minutes played at almost 27 a game. That old mantra, 'it's not who starts, but who finishes', stands here for McDuffy and the Saints. It will be interesting to see if McDuffy starts this weekend.

MIDWESTERN STATE UNIVERSITY. The Mustangs will be making the long trip to Aberdeen with a 2-2 record on the season and will play Northern State, before taking on the Golden Eagles on Saturday. Midwestern State is coming off a 94-74 loss to No. 3 West Texas A & M. MSU competes in one of the best conferences in Division II, the Lone Star Conference.

PROUD PROGRAM. Another game, another opponent with a proud tradition in Midwestern State. From 2008 to 2016, the Mustangs made the NCAA Tournament eight straight seasons, including an Elite Eight appearance three straight seasons. The Mustangs have won the Lonestar Conference Tournament five times in their proud history. Third year Head Coach Justin Leslie is looking to get the Mustangs back to National relevance.

THE CARTER CHRONICLES. Jermane Carter leads the Mustangs in scoring at 15.3 per game and is shooting 53.3 percent from the field. The Mount Laurel, N.J., native leads the team in field goal percentage and scoring. It will be a tough test for the Golden Eagles to stop Carter this weekend.

WILSON! Hopefully people understand that 'Castaway' reference. Anyways, Terrell Wilson is having a nice start to his junior season. Wilson is second on the team in scoring at 12.6 and three-point makes with six. Wilson scored a season-high 21 points against CSU Pueblo, which was a win. Wilson will try to help his Mustangs this weekend in Wachs Arena.