Golden Eagles Back at Home for One Final Time in 2021 as Wolves, Dragons Come to Town this Weekend


#TIDBITS

Golden Eagle men's basketball will look to end a two-game losing skid this weekend when they are back in the friendly confines of Lysaker Gymnasium for games with Northern State and MSU Moorhead. After falling last Thursday to St. Cloud State, the Golden Eagles went on the road and almost pulled off their biggest win in recent memory at Minnesota Duluth. The Golden Eagles were tied with the Bulldogs with about four minutes left in the game, but the Bulldogs were able to hit some tough shots down the stretch to avoid the upset. This weekend, it doesn't get any easier for Minnesota Crookston, as both the Dragons and Wolves were ranked in the top-ten of the Central Region Poll at some point this season. It will be a good test for the Golden Eagles this weekend.

• LOCKED IN. Man, what a three game stretch Ethan Channel has had for the Golden Eagles. The redshirt junior from Beaverton, Ore., has scored in double-figures in three straight games and is averaging 15 points per game during that stretch, while shooting 15-32 from the field and 9-17 from deep, including a career-high four makes from outside the arc against Minnesota Duluth. Channel also pulled down a season-high five rebounds against Midwestern State the Saturday after Thanksgiving. So far, Channel leads the team in points per game and has been excellent the last three games.

• HE MIGHT BE IRONMAN. Uzo Dibiamaka has come in as a redshirt sophomore and has been the main point guard for Head Coach Dan Weisse and his team. In eight of his nine games started this season, Dibiamaka has played in 30 or more minutes, including a season-high 38 minutes last Saturday against Minnesota Duluth, where he scored 13 points. Dibiamaka has been durable and valuable this season for the Golden Eagles.

• CHANGE THE NARRATIVE. When the Wolves come to town on Friday night, they will look for their 17th straight win over the Golden Eagles, dating back to 2012. The Golden Eagles have a chance to beat the Wolves for the third time in Crookston. The last time the Golden Eagles beat the Wolves, it came back in February of 2012. It's a good chance this weekend for the Golden Eagles to flip the script on the Wolves and get a signature NSIC victory.

• WHAT A GAME. Last Saturday's game with Minnesota Duluth was a fantastic college basketball game. The game saw four ties and four lead changes, but was tied with about five minutes left in the game. The game saw a whopping seven players score in double-figures, including four for the Golden Eagles. The Golden Eagles also buried a season-high 12 threes in the loss. Although the Golden Eagles came up short, it was a high energy NSIC basketball game that could have gone either way.

• THAT'S A HUGE IMPROVEMENT. Through nine games, the Golden Eagles have been solid in terms of team defense. The Golden Eagles are currently eighth in the NSIC in points allowed per game, sitting at just over 70 points allowed per game, which is well down from the 81.5 points per game they gave up a season ago. The Golden Eagles also allow opponents to shoot 40.1 percent from the field, which ranks second in the conference and 65th in the nation. The Golden Eagles are also fifth in the conference in defensive rebounds per game at 27.8, which is up five from a season ago. A big part of the defensive success is making it hard on teams and that will have to continue this weekend against the Wolves and Dragons, who can both score the basketball.

• SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE. A killer for any team on the defensive end is allowing second chance opportunities. This year, when opponents play the Golden Eagles, they can guarantee that #15 for the maroon and gold will get his team multiple second chance points. Number 15 is Zen Goodridge. Goodridge, the redshirt junior from Orlando, Fla., and the Bethune-Cookman transfer has made his presence known, gathering 2.5 offensive rebounds per game, which is top ten in the conference. Tyler Riemersma of Augustana leads the entire conference with 4.5 offensive rebounds per game.

• LEO THE LEADER. Leonard Dixon, the redshirt junior from Demascus, Ore., leads the team in a number of categories, including three-point makes (18), rebounds per game (6.8) and total steals at 12. Dixon also has a make from deep in every game but two and just picked up his first double-double of the season last Saturday, finishing with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Dixon has had a good start to his second season wearing a Golden Eagle jersey.


Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Dan Weisse
Record at UMC: 62-123 Season at UMC: Eighth Season


Northern State Wolves
Head Coach: Saul Phillips
Record at NSU: 52-12 Season at NSU: Third Season

Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons
Head Coach: Chad Walthall
Record at MSUM: 227-114 Season at MSUM: 12th Season

Weekly Snapshot

Minnesota Crookston
Projected Starters
R-So. G 10 Uzo Dibiamaka (6-3, Adelaide, South Australia) 11.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.4 APG
R-Jr. G 1 Ethan Channel (6-4, Beaverton, Ore.) 12.4 PPG, 3.0 RPG
R-Sr. G 14 Brian Sitzmann (6-4, Savage, Minn.) 9.6 RPG, 3.0 RPG
R-Jr. F 11 Leonard Dixon (6-7, Demascus, Ore.) 11.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG
R-Jr. C 15 Zen Goodridge (6-8, Orlando, Fla.) 4.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG
Top Bench Players
R-Sr. G 2 Zach Westphal (6-2, West Fargo, N.D.) 4.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG
R-Jr. F 23 Marcus Thompson (6-6, Brooklyn, N.Y.) 1.1 PPG, 1.6 RPG
R-So. C 13 Nathaniel Powell (6-9, Nottingham, England) 5.1 PPG, 3.5 RPG
R-So. G 3 Dylan Hushaw (6-2, Las Vegas, Nev.) 3.0 PPG 2.0 RPG
Northern State University
Projected Starters
Jr. G 5 Sam Masten (6-3, Highlands Ranch, Colo.) 14.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG
Jr. F 4 Cole Bergan (6-7, Aberdeen, S.D.) 6.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG
Jr. G 11 Augustin Reede (6-2, Aberdeen, S.D.) 10.2 PPG
Fr. F 21 Jackson Mone (6-10, Fargo, N.D.) 14.5 PPG, 5.7 RPG
Sr. F 23 Jordan Belka (6-7, Rogers, Minn.) 15.3 PPG, 7.5 RPG
Top Bench Players
Jr. G 1 Kailleb Walton-Blanden (6-3, Rapid City, S.D.) 8.6 PPG, 2.0 RPG
Fr. G 33 Carter Lancaster (6-4, Darlington, Wis.) 6.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG
Fr. G 10 Trey Longstreet (6-7, Waverly, Minn.) 2.4 PPG, 2.6 RPG
So. F 24 Kobe Busch (6-5, Huron, S.D.) 5.7 PPG, 3.1 RPG
Minnesota State University Moorhead
Projected Starters
Jr. G 2 Bryce Irsfeld (6-0, Browerville, Minn.) 11.4 PPG, 1.8 RPG
Jr. G 1 Lorenzo McGhee (6-5, Decatur, Ga.) 10.6 PPG, 4.3 RPG
Fr. G 4 Jacob Beeninga (6-0, Maple Grove, Minn.) 10.0 PPG, 2.2 RPG
Jr. G 12 Gavin Baumgartner (6-4, Plymouth, Minn.) 11.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG
So. F 24 Dane Zimmer (6-7, Hopkins, Minn.) 11.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG
Top Bench Players
Jr. G 5 Trever Kaiser (6-2, Dassel, Minn.) 6.9 PPG, 3.0 RPG
Fr. G 11 Gabe Myren (6-3, Blaine, Minn.) 3.5 PPG, 1.8 RPG
Jr. G 13 Siman Sem (6-4, Fargo, N.D.) 2.2 PPG, 2.2 RPG
Jr. F 22 Jaden Stanley-Williams (6-7, Rocky Boy, Mont.) 6.6 PPG, 2.3 RPG
Jr. C 35 Jesse Bergh (6-10, Audubon, Minn.) 5.1 PPG, 3.5 RPG

NSIC Rankings

Scoring Offense: 16th
Scoring Defense: 8th
Scoring Margin: 14th
Free Throw Pct.: 15th
Field Goal Pct.: 14th
Field Goal Pct. Defense: 2nd
3-Point Field Goal Pct.: 9th
3-Point Field Goal Pct. Defense: 8th
Rebounding Offense: 4th
Rebounding Defense: 15th
Rebounding Margin: 12th
Blocked Shots: 4th
Assists: 14th
Steals: 12th
Turnover Margin: 16th
Assist/Turnover Ratio: 16th
Offensive Rebounds: 9th
Defensive Rebounds: 5th

#OPPONENTOUTLOOK

NORTHERN STATE. Another week, another traditional NSIC powerhouse coming to Crookston. The Wolves are just four years removed from a berth in the NCAA National Championship game, where they fell to Ferris State in Sioux Falls. Former North Dakota State and Ohio University coach Saul Phillips is in his third season at the helm of the Wolves. Phillips took both the Bison and Bobcats to the NCAA Tournament.

MONI, MONI, MONI!  Freshman Jackson Moni is off to a blazing start in his Wolves career. The Fargo, N.D., native has scored 20 points or more in three games this season, including a 27-point outburst against Presentation College, which was a career-high. He also buried five threes in that game against the Saints, which also was a career-high. Moni is shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from deep, while sitting second in points per game at 14.5 and second in rebounding with 5.7 rebounds per game. Moni has been money this season for NSU.

MASTEN THE MASTER. It might be completely possible that Sam Masten doesn't miss. The Colorado native is shooting over 50 percent from both the field and from behind the arc and had a game earlier this season where he scored 34 points on 13-17 shooting from the field against Black Hills State. Masten can also pass the ball, collecting five or more assists in four games this season. Masten is the straw that stirs the drink for the Wolves.

GREEDY REEDE. Augustin Reede is not afraid to pull the trigger when he has the ball. In fact, of the 89 field goal attempts that the junior has taken this season, just 17 have been from inside of the arc. Of the 36 field goal makes he has, just six haven't been from outside the arc. In the Wolves previous two games, Reede has 20 three-point attempts and has 11 makes, including six in the win on Saturday against UMary. The Aberdeen native is making a name for himself with his hometown school.

MINNESOTA STATE MOORHEAD. The Dragons are full of experience, but their probable starters for this Saturday are four juniors and a sophomore. The Dragons were projected to finish atop the NSIC North and the entire NSIC. So far, the Dragons are 6-6 overall, but have played one of the toughest schedules in the NSIC. The Dragons are a dangerous basketball team.

RECORD SETTER. On December 2nd, Bryce Irsfeld surpassed the 1,000 point mark in the win over UMary. The junior from Browerville, Minn., became the 36th player in school history to surpass that mark, including teammate Gavin Baumgartner, who surpassed the milestone earlier in his Dragon career.

FORMER MARAUDER. Trever Kaiser made an impact early on in his career, except it came about 3 hours West of Moorhead, at the University of Mary. Now, the junior is making a giant impact for another NSIC school, Minnesota State Moorhead. The Dassel, Minn., native scored a career-high 32 points earlier this season against Crown College, where he was 7-8 from deep and 11-14 from the field. Kaiser can be lights out from deep and will be a player to watch this weekend.

PRESEASON RESPECT. In the preseason, Decatur, Ga., native Lorenzo McGhee was tabbed to win the Player of the Year in the NSIC North. So far, McGhee is fourth for MSUM in scoring with 10.6 points per game and has pulled down 4.3 rebounds per game. McGhee scored a season-high 22 points against Southeastern Oklahoma this season. In two games against the Golden Eagles a season ago, McGhee averaged just 8.5 points per game. Both of those games were in Crookston.