Minnesota Crookston Wraps-Up Regular Season with Highway-2 Rivals Bemidji State

Minnesota Crookston will finish off their 2021 season with two games against Bemidji State. The Beavers have won the past two meetings with the Golden Eagles.

This past weekend, Minnesota Crookston played the defending NSIS Postseason champions, St. Cloud State tough, but the Huskies strong defensive effort proved to be too much for the Golden Eagles. The Huskies swept Minnesota Crookston a weekend ago.

This weekend, Minnesota Crookston will wrap-up the regular season with two games against the Beavers of Bemidji State. The Beavers are currently fourth in the NSIC, but are losers of four straight games. The Beavers are in a good spot to make the NSIC
postseason tournament, but this weekend could be a chance for the Golden Eagles to play spoiler.
FAN POLICY
Friday and Saturday's games will be the first where fans are allowed. Fans should arrive no sooner than 30 minutes before game time each day. All games are free admission for fans. Two people per player for both teams will be permitted to enter the game. Your name must be on a pass list as you enter the south doors of the Crookston Sports Center. Fans must remain masked for the entirety of the game. No food or drinks are permitted. Fans must remain six ft. away from other fans. No walk-up admissions will be allowed. Fans must exit Lysaker Gymnasium immediately following this weekend's games.

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.

THE MOST FOR POST
Before Saturday's game, Kylie Post had four straight games of single digit scoring outputs. The junior from Corcoran, Minn., changed that narrative in a big way during the loss to the Huskies. Post scored 16 points on 6-11 shooting from the field. The 16 points was one off of Post's season-high 17 points. Post might be an X-factor for the Golden Eagles.

IS A FOX BETTER THAN A HUSKY?
We aren't trying to be Animal Planet here, but Bren Fox had a really good weekend against the Huskies. In the two games against SCSU, the junior averaged 7 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game and had the tough duty of going up against star Niki Kilboten. Much like Post, Fox might be another X-factor for the Golden Eagles.

CASH IN AT THE STRIPE
When the Golden Eagles get to the charity stripe, they are almost automatic. Minnesota Crookston is currently shooting 76.1 percent from the free-throw line this season, led by the freshman Mertens, who is shooting 86 percent from the stripe, which is good for sixth in the NSIC. Emma Carpenter and Bren Fox are also shooting over 80 percent from the charity stripe this season. Minnesota Crookston has six games of more than 15 makes from the stripe this season, including 19 makes from the charity stripe in a win over UMary earlier this season.

TELLING STAT
In the Golden Eagles three wins this season, there is one stat that sticks out: three-point shooting. In a two game sweep over Northern State earlier this season, the Golden Eagles buried 21 makes from deep, including a season-high 11 wins in Friday night's win over the Wolves. In a win over UMary, the Golden Eagles buried eight makes from deep. It might be an obvious statement, but when the ball is going in the hoop from deep, the Golden Eagles are dangerous.

ONE FINAL GO
This weekend will be the final game of the Golden Eagle career for seniors Ashley Freund, Jennifer Lax and Abby Guidinger. The trio will graduate at the end of the season and have made a lasting impact on the Golden Eagles. A sweep of the Beavers would be a nice way to go out for the three seniors.

SUFFOCATING THE OPPONENT
The Golden Eagles defense has drastically improved from a season ago. A big reason for that has been the forced turnovers they have forced against their opponents. Minnesota Crookston forces a whopping 18 turnovers per game, which is second in the conference, just behind Minnesota State, who forces their opponents into over 20 turnovers per game.

Game Information
Friday, Feb. 19
5:30 P.M.
Bemidji State at Minnesota Crookston
Gary Senske Court at Lysaker Gymnasium
Live Video - https://nsicnetwork.com/goldeneaglesports/
Live Stats - https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
 

Sat., Feb. 20
1:30 P.M.
Bemidji State at Minnesota Crookston
Gary Senske Court at Lysaker Gymnasium
Live Video - https://nsicnetwork.com/goldeneaglesports/
Live Stats - https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary


2020-21 NSIC Rankings
Scoring Offense: 15th
Scoring Defense: 9th
Scoring Margin: 15th
Free Throw Pct.: 8th
Field Goal Pct.: 15th
Field Goal Pct. Defense: 15th
3-Point Field Goal Pct.: 10th
3-Point Field Goal Pct. Defense: 9th
Rebounding Offense: 16th
Rebounding Defense: 12th
Rebounding Margin: 16th
Offensive Rebounds: 16th
Defensive Rebounds: 16th
Blocked Shots: 12th
Assists: 16th
Steals: 5th
Turnover Margin: 6th
Assist/Turnover Ratio: 15th 


Weekly Snapshot

Minnesota Crookston
Projected Starters
So. G 4 Emma Carpenter (5-10, Eagan, Minn.) 6.0 PPG, 1.6 RPG
Jr. G 5 Kylie Post (5-7, Corcoran, Minn.) 9.6 PPG, 4.0 RPG
R-So. G/F 14 Mary Burke (5-11, Virginia, Minn.) 9.2 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 22 3-Point makes
Fr. G 21 Jes Mertens (5-9, Devils Lake, N.D.) 10.8 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.6 SPG
Fr. F 30 Haylee Wheeler (6-2, Lakeville, Minn.) 4.9 PPG, 3.0 RPG
Top Bench Players
So. G 3 Alyssa Peterson (5-7, Menahga, Minn.) 3.1 PPG
Sr. F 10 Ashley Freund (5-11, Jordan, Minn.) 1.1 PPG
Jr. G 11 Kylea Praska (5-8, Thief River Falls, Minn.) 1.2 PPG
Fr. F 32 Eden Golliher (6-0, Iron River, Mich.) 2.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG
Jr. F 23 Bren Fox (6-3, Norwood Young America, Minn.) 9.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG
Jr. F 31 Julia Peplinski (5-10, Hustisford, Wis.) 3.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG
Bemidji State University
Projected Starters
Sr. G 12 Brooklyn Bachmann (5-9, Minooka, Ill.) 12.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG
Jr. G 14 Trinity Myer (5-9, Hayward, Wis.) 10.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG
Sr. G 20 Sydney Zerr (5-6, Shakopee, Minn.) 5.6 PPG
Sr. F 23 Gabby Dubois (5-10, West Fargo, N.D.) 5.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG
So. F 32 Rachael Heittola (6-2, Belleville, Wis.) 13.1 PPG, 6.8 RPG
Top Bench Players
Jr. F 4 Coley Rezabek (5-10, Sunrise Beach, Mo.) 2.7 PPG, 1.5 RPG
Jr. F 24 Claire Wolhowe (6-0, Staples, Minn.) 2.7 PPG
Sr. C 42 Taylor Bray (6-1, Anoka, Minn.) 7.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG

STUDY THE OPPONENT

Bemidji State
 
The Beavers come into the final weekend of play losing four straight games to the top two teams in the conference; St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth. At one time, the Beavers were 6-0 at one point, before losing four in a row. This is a big weekend for the Beavers before heading into the NSIC tournament.

LEAD THE WAY
 
Sophomore forward Rachael Heittola has made a giant impact in year two as a Beaver. The Belleville, Wis., native leads the Beavers in scoring at 13.1 points per game on the season, including a 26-point output in a win over MSU Moorhead. The sophomore also has three games of 20 or more points on the season. Heittola is going to be a tough matchup for the NSIC for years to come.

BROOKLYN 99
 
Senior Brooklyn Bachmann is really, really good. The senior is averaging 12.8 points per game, while pulling down 6.3 rebounds per game and dishing out 3.8 assists per game; good for sixth in the NSIC. Bachmann is also shooting 44 percent from the field on the season as well. Stopping Bachmann might be the key factor this weekend for the Golden Eagles.

GIANT WEEKEND FOR THE BEAVERS
 
The Beavers are sitting in a good spot in the NSIC North. The Beavers are 6-4 in the NSIC North and in fourth place. BSU is a good bet to play in the NSIC Tournament after this weekend, but it could still be knocked out, depending on what happens this weekend. After losing four in a row, this is a giant weekend for the Beavers in a number of ways.
 

WHAT TO WATCH
1. Can the Golden Eagles end the season on a high note?

2. Defensive side of the ball

3. Minnesota Crookston looking to play spoiler

4. Final week of regular season

5. Can the Golden Eagles send their seniors out on a high note?