Marshall, Minn. – Minnesota Crookston was looking for their second straight win overall and first win over Southwest Minnesota State since 2004 on Friday night from the R/A Facility in Marshall. Kenny Byers had two cracks to tie up the game in the final 14 seconds, but both fell off the rim, as the Golden Eagles were able to escape with a 70-67 victory over the Mustangs.
 
With the victory, the Golden Eagles have won two in a row and improve to 6-12 (3-9 NSIC), while the Mustangs fall to 9-7 (5-6 NSIC).
 
The Mustangs would get on the board first following a sweet post move from Jake Phipps to make it 2-0. Phipps would finish the night shooting 5-18 from the field in the game.
 
Nathaniel Powell (R-So., C, Nottingham, England) would follow the Phipps layup with one of his own, to knot things up at two.
 
Byers, who would shoot just 5-17 from the field, would make his first jumper of the night, but Uzo Dibiamaka (R-So., G, Adelaide, Australia) would bury one of his career-high four makes from deep to give the Golden Eagles a 5-4 lead.
 
The game would continue to be back and forth, but the Mustangs would take a 14-10 lead early in the first half. Ethan Channel (R-Jr., G, Beaverton, Ore.), who was playing in his first game since Jan. 2, would bury a left wing three to cut the lead to just one.
 
Marcus Thompson (R-Jr., F, Brooklyn, N.Y.) would give the Golden Eagles a 16-14 lead on a tough finish in the paint.
 
Once again, both teams would trade jabs midway through the first, but Zach Westphal (R-Sr., G, West Fargo, N.D.) would give the Golden Eagles a lead they would not relinquish at 29-27.
 
Minnesota Crookston would finish the first half on a 9-3 run, highlighted by a Leonard Dixon (R-Jr., F, Demascus, Ore.) three, to go into the halftime break up by six at 36-30.
 
SMSU would come out of the halftime break and score the first four points, but Dixon would score three of his 13 second half points to stop the run.
 
The Mustangs would get within two at 47-45, but Dixon would score five straight points to give the Golden Eagles their largest lead of the game at 52-45.
 
With 5:24 remaining in the game, Omot Dunwa would bury a right corner three to cut the Golden Eagle lead to one, but Powell would bury two free throws to stretch the lead back to three.
 
The biggest bucket of the game was one that didn't even go through the rim, as Dibiamaka drove down the middle of the lane and flipped one up, but Byers sent it back as it was on its way down, and the Golden Eagles would lead 66-62.
 
Minnesota Crookston would continue to get stops and would make key free throws down the stretch, but after Byers banked in a three from the top of the key, the Mustangs would be down just three, at 70-67.
 
Dixon would miss a pair of free throws and the Mustangs would corral the rebound, but Byers missed two great looks from deep, including one at the buzzer and the Golden Eagles were able to escape, 70-67.
 
Once again, balance was key, as Dibiamaka and Dixon each finished with 19 points on the night and Powell finished with 10. Channel finished with eight and Brian Sitzmann (R-Sr., G, Savage, Minn.) finished with six points on the night. As a team, the Golden Eagles shot 46.3 percent from the field, including over 50 percent in the second half.
 
Minnesota Crookston made 11 three's, the third time all season that they have done that. Minnesota Crookston held SMSU to under 40 percent shooting from the field, including to just 30 percent in the second half. Byers and Phipps were a combined 10-35 from the field for the Mustangs.
 
The Golden Eagles will look to make it three in a row tomorrow afternoon as they take on the University of Sioux Falls from the Stewart Center. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.