Minnesota Crookston Women's Basketball Opens 2022 in Nebraska Against Nebraska-Kearney, Northwest Missouri State


#WBBNOTES

• THE MINNESOTA CROOKSTON women's basketball team will open up their home portion of the regular season this Thursday and Saturday in non-conference play. After playing both Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech on the road last season, the Wildcats and Huskies will return the favor and make their way to Crookston. The Golden Eagles will look for their first wins of 2022, after losing a pair last weekend in Kearney, Neb. The Golden Eagles lost by a pair to Northern Michigan last season and lost by just eight to Michigan Tech, so the Golden Eagles will look to reverse their fortune this season.

•  MORE FOR MILLER. In her first career games as a Golden Eagle, Emma Miller gave Golden Eagle fans a glimpse of a future, one that is pretty bright. Miller left the two games as the leading scorer on the Golden Eagles with 12.5 per game, including a career-high 17 against Northwest Missouri State. In the loss against the Bearcats, the Albertville, Minn., native was 8-13 from the field and buried her first career three. The freshman currently ranks fourth in the NSIC with 5.0 assists per game.

• MAKES FOR MIKROT. The Golden Eagles struggled to shoot from deep this weekend, going just 11-40 from long range. The bright side is both Nebraska-Kearney and Northwest Missouri State combined to make just 10 shots from deep. Freshman Natalie Mikrot is second on the team with 8.5 points per game. Most of that scoring has come from deep in the two games. Mikrot made four three's on the weekend, two in each game. Mikrot will be an important scorer and shooter this season for the maroon and gold.

• NO ADJUSTMENTS HERE. One of the things that stood out this past weekend was the fact that not only did a number of freshmen and newcomers play a number of minutes, but also the fact that they played well. Albeit a small sample size, Minnesota Crookston's top four scorers are freshmen, including Miller and Mikrot. Five of the top six Golden Eagle scorers are newcomers, including freshmen Taryn Frazer and Janie Tormanen, as well as Nicole Hernandez, a transfer from Lindenwood University. There might be some growing pains with a roster as young as the Golden Eagles, but they have to like what they saw the first weekend.

• TURNOVERS WILL HAUNT. If someone looks at the box scores for the two games this past weekend, you might ask yourself how the Golden Eagles lost both games by double-figures. Opponents shot just 41 percent from the field, compared to 37 percent shooting for the Golden Eagles. Not that big of a disparity. Something that did hurt the Golden Eagles was turnovers. In two games, the Golden Eagles gave the ball up 33 times, which is last in the NSIC. Although they did force 25 turnovers, taking care of the ball will be key this weekend.

• NOT IN MY HOUSE. Nicole Hernandez was a key pick-up this past offseason for the Golden Eagles. She brought size and athleticism, which is needed in the Northern Sun. Hernandez proved to be valuable this past weekend. The Oak Creek, Wis., native averaged 5.0 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game, including a career-high seven on Saturday against Northwest Missouri State. Hernandez changed a lot of shots as well, blocking four shots on the weekend, which leads the team and is second in the NSIC. The sophomore will look to play a key role this weekend as well.

• PERFECT FROM THE FIELD. The freshmen will be a talking point all season. The Golden Eagles have a number of them that can play key minutes and help them win. One of those players is Janie Tormanen. The first-year Golden Eagle from Menahga, Minn., was outstanding in the 12-point loss to Northwest Missouri State. After not scoring a point in her collegiate debut against Nebraska-Kearney, Tormanen didn't miss a shot on Saturday, going a perfect 6-6 from the field and scoring 12 points. Tormanen adds size and a scoring punch to the Golden Eagles.

• FREE THROW DISPARITY. Another thing that came into play this past weekend was the difference in free throw attempts. The Lopers and Bearcats combined to shoot 35 times at the charity stripe, compared to just 12 for the Golden Eagles, with eight of those attempts coming against Northwest Missouri State. Getting to the free throw line and having a chance to score with the clock stopped will be something the Golden Eagles will look to do this weekend.

• THRILLER IN MARQUETTE. If last season's game was any indication of how Thursday's game could go, Golden Eagle fans are in for a heart stopper type of a finish. The game a season ago literally went down to the final buzzer, with the Golden Eagles shot falling short at the horn. Northern Michigan outscored the Golden Eagles by four in the second quarter, which propelled them to the victory. The Golden Eagles will look to return the favor this Thursday at home.

• HOME IN NOVEMBER. It has been a while since the Golden Eagles have played a home game in November. When the Golden Eagles welcome in the Wildcats and Huskies this week, it will be the first time since 2018 that they have played a home game in the month of November. That season, the Golden Eagles swept the two games at home against Valley City State and Mayville State. The maroon and gold will look for that same success this weekend.


GAMEDAY

Northern Michigan @Minnesota Crookston
DATE: Thursday, Nov. 17
TIME: 6 P.M.
SITE: Crookston, Minn.
ARENA: Gary Senske Court inside Lysaker Gymnasium
Watch Live: https://nsicnetwork.com/goldeneaglesports/
Live Stats: https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
TWITTER: @UMNCrookstonATH/@UMNCrookstonWBB

Michigan Tech @ Minnesota Crookston
DATE: Sat. Mov. 19
TIME: 1 P.M.
SITE: Crookston, Minn.
ARENA: Gary Senske Court inside Lysaker Gymnasium
Watch Live: https://nsicnetwork.com/goldeneaglesports/
Live Stats: https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary

TWITTER: @UMNCrookstonATH/@UMNCrookstonWBB


KEYS TO THE WEEKEND

- Can the Golden Eagles hit some shots?

- Emma Miller looks to continue outstanding start to freshman season

- After two close losses a season ago to Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech, can the Golden Eagles close the deal

- Putting together a full 40 minutes

- Hitting some outside shots is key

- Stopping the big runs for opponents




MINNESOTA CROOKSTON GOLDEN EAGLES
Head Coach: Mike Roysland (Bemidji State, 1980)
Career Record: 135-288 (17th Season at Minnesota Crookston)
2015 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Coach of the Year


NORTHERN MICHIGAN WILDCATS
Head Coach: Casey Thousand (Lakeland College, 2004)
Career Record: 2-0 (First Season at Northern Michigan)


Michigan Tech Huskies
Head Coach: Sam Clayton (Michigan Tech)
Career Record: 72-39 (Fifth Season at Michigan Tech)


WEEKLY SNAPSHOT

Minnesota Crookston
Projected Starters
Fr. G 1 Emma Miller (5-1, Albertville, Minn.) 12.5 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 5 APG
Fr. G 11 Natalie Mikrot (5-6, Willow River, Minn.) 8.5 PPG, 1.5 RPG
So. G 5 Erika Lane (5-10, Breezy Point, Minn.) 3.0 PPG, 1.5 RPG
So. F 20 Alex Page (6-0, Grand Forks, N.D.) 5.0 PPG, 2.5 RPG
R-Sr. C 23 Bren Fox (6-3, Norwood Young America, Minn.) 4.0 PPG, 1.3 RPG
Top Newcomers
Fr. G 3 Taryn Frazier (5-4, Cass Lake, Minn.) 5.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG
Fr. F/C 15 Janie Tormanen (6-0, Menahga, Minn.) 6.0 PPG, 1.5 RPG
Jr. F/C 4 Nicole Hernandez (6-2, Oak Creek, Minn.) 5.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG
R-Jr. F 21 Abigail Leach (6-0, Wyoming, Minn.) 3.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG

Northern Michigan
Projected Starters
So. G 4 MacKenzie Holzwart (5-8, Howards Grove, Wis.) 14.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG
R-So. G 11 Kayla Tierney (5-7, South Milwaukee, Wis.) 13.5 PPG
Jr. G 24 Makaylee Kuhn (5-11, Hilbert, Wis.) 11.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG
R-So. C 44 Ana Rhude (6-3, Colgate, Wis.) 8.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG
R-So. F Vivianne Jende (6-2, Waukesha, Wis.) 2.0 PPG, 2.5 RPG
Top Bench Players
So. F 4 Abi Fraaza (6-0, Birnamwood, Wis.) 3.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG
Fr. G 5 Sarah Newcomer (5-10, Pewaukee, Wis.) 4.0 PPG
Sr. F 15 Elena Alaix (6-2, Madrid, Spain) 8.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG
So. F 21 Alyssa Nimz (6-1, Pewaukee, Wis.) 6.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG

Michigan Tech
Projected Starters
Sr. G 2 Ellie Mackay(5-6, Novi, Mich.) 17.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG
Sr. G 10 Sloane Zenner (6-0, Houghton, Mich.) 13.0 PPG, 6.5 RPG
Sr. G 13 Alex Rondorf (5-10, West Bend, Wis.) 11.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG
Jr. G 14 Katelyn Meister (5-10, Wisconsin Dells, Wis.) 9.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG
Jr. F 42 Sara Dax (6-1, Kewaunee, Wis.) 3.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG
Top Bench Players
Jr. G 3 Tessa Leece (5-10, Ishpeming, Mich.) 2.0 PPG
Fr. G 11 Saroya Timms (5-6, East Lansing, Mich.) 3.0 PPG, 2.5 RPG
So. G 23 Isabella Lenz (5-9, Prescott, Wis.) 15.5 PPG. 2.5 RPG
So. F 12 Lydia Schaible (6-0, Green Bay, Wis.) 2.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG


#Tidbits

NORTHERN MICHIGAN. Northern Michigan is off to a great start this season under the direction of first-year head coach Casey Thousand. NMU has looked like a thousand bucks through their first two games, beating both Lewis and William Jewel by an average of 18.5 points per game. NMU won 12 games a season ago, including a two-point win over the Golden Eagles.

KUUUUUUUUUUHN. When these two programs met last November, the game wouldn't be described as a 'shootout'. Both teams combined to score 98 points in the 50-48 victory for NMU. One player who did play well offensively was junior Makaylee Kuhn. Kuhn was the only scorer in double-figures, scoring 16 points on 6-12 shooting, while also pulling down 12 rebounds. Kuhn will look for more of the same this season against Minnesota Crookston.

IS WISCONSIN THE NEW MICHIGAN? Although Northern Michigan is located in, duh, Michigan, it has a ton of Wisconsin flavor. Their top three scorers in the two games this season all hail from Wisconsin, including Kuhn. In all, the Wildcats have four Wisconsinites on their roster, including former Golden Eagle, Abi Fraaza, who played for Minnesota Crookston last season.

RHUDE TO HER OPPONENTS. Through two games, redshirt sophomore Ana Rhude is averaging more rebounds (9.0) per game, than points (8.0). The 6-3 third-year Wildcat finished with a double-double against Lewis, scoring 10 points and pulling down 12 boards. Minnesota Crookston will look to keep Rhude off the glass this weekend, but that might be easier said than done.

MICHIGAN TECH. Michigan Tech has has one of the best programs in the last five seasons under the direction of alum Sam Clayton. In her five seasons, the former Huskies All-Conference guard has a 72-39 record on the bench, including a Sweet 16 berth in 2020-21. The Huskies are off to a 2-0 start this season.

LIVE AND DIE BY THE THREE. In today's game, the three-ball has become prevalent. Last weekend, Michigan Tech shot 58 three's in a pair of wins over William Jewell and Lewis. On Friday night against William Jewell, they shot just 25 percent, but got the win. Against the Flyers of Lewis, the Huskies made 13 of 31 attempts, good for a season high 41 percent. The long ball could be a factor on Saturday.

SHE WENT TO (MAC)KAY. Stopping senior Ellie Mackay isn't easy to do. The senior from Novi, Mich., is averaging 17 points per game this season on 45.5 percent shooting from the field. A season ago, Mackay scored 17 points and pulled down nine rebounds to propel the Huskies to the eight point win in Houghton last November.

CLEANING THE GLASS. Michigan Tech has no issues rebounding the basketball. In their 36-point win over Lewis, the Huskies outrebounded the Flyers, 48-34 and followed that up by winning the rebounding battle on Saturday by a slimmer margin, 40-38. The Huskies have won the rebounding battle in both games, while the Golden Eagles have lost that all important battle. Something has to budge on Saturday afternoon.