First NSIC Weekend on Tap for Golden Eagle Women's Basketball as they Head to Minnesota Duluth, Back Home on Saturday Against St. Cloud State


#WBBNOTES

• THE MINNESOTA CROOKSTON women's basketball team will now be head on into NSIC play. The Golden Eagles played their final non-conference games this past weekend in Florida, losing to Nova Southeastern and then bouncing back nicely and defeating Palm Beach Atlantic, 83-77, in overtime. The Golden Eagles will look to knock off a pair of outstanding teams this weekend. Minnesota Crookston heads to Minnesota Duluth on Thursday and then will be back at home on Saturday to face St. Cloud State.

·   FRAZER THE FABULOUS. What a time Taryn Frazer picked to have the best game of her young Golden Eagle career on Saturday afternoon. The Cass Lake, Minn., native finished with a career-high 22 points against Palm Beach Atlantic. In fact, she finished with a career-high in a number of categories in the win over the Sailfish. Frazer played 37 minutes, made seven field goals, had five three-point makes and pulled down six rebounds, all of which were the best of her young career. Frazer made some huge baskets down the stretch, including five-straight points in the overtime period. The Golden Eagles rely on a number of freshmen and Frazer looks to be coming into her own at a good time.

·  NOW THAT'S A STAT LINE. Nicole Hernandez is a transfer from now Division I program Lindenwood University in Missouri and she brings size and athleticism that will do the Golden Eagles wonders in the NSIC. In Saturday's win over Palm Beach Atlantic, the junior from Oak Creek, Wis., finished with one of the most dominant stat lines in recent memory for the Golden Eagles. Hernandez scored eight points, the most in a Golden Eagle uniform, while pulling down 13 rebounds, also a career-high. The most impressive stat from Hernandez was her six blocks. It was the most blocks in a game since Isieoma Odor swatted six shots against Bemidji State in 2018. Before Odor's six blocks, Laura Kessler had six against Minnesota Morris in 2008. With that six block performance, it catapulted Hernandez to number three in the NSIC with 14 blocks. The Golden Eagles will hope for a dominant performance like that from Hernandez in the future.

·  DELIVERY PLEASE. Speaking of Golden Eagles at the top of the NSIC, we have to talk about freshman sensation Emma Miller. The native of Albertville, Minn., currently ranks 12th in the NSIC with 14.3 points per game and is ranked in the top five with 4.0 assists per game, but tops the NSIC in total assists with 28. Oh yeah, she is also 20th in the conference in rebounds per game and her 35.0 minutes played per game puts her in sixth in the Northern Sun. It has taken Miller no time to adjust to one of the best conferences in Division II.

·  A FOX WILL HUNT. Having played in 92 career games at Minnesota Crookston, Bren Fox is far and away the most experienced the Golden Eagles have on their roster. With that experience, she knows that she can make an impact in many different areas in a basketball game. So far this season, Fox might not be scoring the way she would like, but she does have a double-double this season, the eighth of her career, as well as pulling down eight or more boards in four games this season. In Saturday's win over the Sailfish, Fox finished with nine points, nine boards and a career-high five assists. Fox impacts the game in so many different ways.

·  3-POINT DIFFERENCE. A difference this past week when the Golden Eagles went 2-1 was their ability from behind the arc. Although they made just two against Bemidji State, the made six against Nova Southeastern. That was just a warm-up for what they would do on Saturday. Minnesota Crookston made a season-high 12 3-point field goals against the Sailfish and the most since they made a program best 19 against Minot State in February of last year. This season, the maroon and gold has already made 10 or more three's in two games. Last season, they accomplished that feat, just once. It's been a huge improvement from behind the arc in 2022-23.

• ONE CHANCE. The Golden Eagles finished last week with two huge wins, including a conference opening win over Bemidji State. It was their first win over the Beavers in six tries and a big part of that win was the difference on the glass. In the win over BSU, Minnesota Crookston outrebounded Bemidji State by 12 and then followed that up by winning the rebounding battle by seven over Nova Southeastern and 10 over Palm Beach Atlantic. Allowing the opponents just one chance to score is a great way to enter NSIC play.

• PARTY FOR THREE. Besides Hernandez and Fox, Janie Tormanen has made a huge impact for the Golden Eagles. The freshman from Menahga, Minn., has added size and offense to the Golden Eagles. The 6-0 Tormanen has come off the bench in every game this season and has scored double-figures in three games, including a season-high 12 against Northwest Missouri State and 11 in her NSIC debut against Bemidji State. Tormanen also leads the Golden Eagles in field goal percentage, shooting 47.4 percent from the field on the season.

• CHANGE THE NARRATIVE. Dec. 1, 2022 seems like a great time for the Golden Eagles to knock off Minnesota Duluth. The Golden Eagles haven't beaten the Bulldogs since 2019, which was a five-point win at home. Since 2008, Minnesota Crookston has just three wins against the Bulldogs and it won't be any easier this season, facing a Bulldogs team in Duluth and has one of the best players in the entire nation in Brooke Olson.

GAMEDAY

Minnesota Crookston @ Minnesota Duluth
DATE: Thur. Dec. 1
TIME: 5:30 P.M.
SITE: Duluth, Minn.
ARENA: Romano Gymnasium
Watch Live: https://nsicnetwork.com/umdbulldogs/
Live Stats: https://umdbulldogs.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
TWITTER: @UMNCrookstonATH/@UMNCrookstonWBB

St. Cloud State @ Minnesota Crookston
DATE: Sat. Dec. 3
TIME: 1 P.M.
SITE: Crookston, Minn.
ARENA: Gary Senske Court
Watch Live: https://nsicnetwork.com/goldeneaglesports/
Live Stats: https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
TWITTER: @UMNCrookstonATH/@UMNCrookstonWBB


KEYS TO THE WEEKEND

- Hot shooting is needed to beat two great defensive teams

- Rebounding

- Limit the turnovers

- Putting together a full 40 minutes

- Defense, Defense, Defense

- Continue to shoot the ball well from deep


Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Mike Roysland (Bemidji State, 1980)
Career Record: 138-291 (17th Season at Minnesota Crookston)
2015 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Coach of the Year


Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs
Head Coach: Mandy Pearson (Concordia College)
Career Record: 128-66 (8th Season at UMD)


St. Cloud State Huskies
Head Coach: Lori Fish (South Dakota State, 1990)
Career Record: 230-155 (15th Season at SCSU)


WEEKLY SNAPSHOT

MINNESOTA CROOKSTON
Projected Starters
Fr. G 1 Emma Miller (5-1, Albertville, Minn.) 14.3 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 4 APG
So. G 5 Erika Lane (5-10, Breezy Point, Minn.) 6.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG
Fr. G 3 Taryn Frazer (5-4, Cass Lake, Minn.) 7.6 PPG, 3.1 RPG
Jr. F/C 4 Nicole Hernandez (6-2, Oak Creek, Minn.) 5.0 PPG, 5.3 RPG
R-Sr. C 23 Bren Fox (6-3, Norwood Young America, Minn.) 7.0 PPG, 7.3 RPG
Top Newcomers
So. F 20 Alex Page (6-0, Grand Forks, N.D.) 7.0 PPG, 2.9 RPG
Fr. F/C 15 Janie Tormanen (6-0, Menahga, Minn.) 6.0 PPG, 2.6 RPG
Fr. G 11 Natalie Mikrot (5-6, Willow River, Minn.) 5.1 PPG, 0.9 RPG
R-Jr. F 21 Abigail Leach (6-0, Wyoming, Minn.) 2.7 PPG, 2.0 RPG

Minnesota Duluth
Projected Starters
Sr. G 0 Taytum Rhoades (5-9, St. Paul, Minn.) 5.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG
Sr. G/F 22 Madelyn Granica (5-11, Amery, Wis.) 7.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG
R-Sr. F 24 Brooke Olson (6-2, Rice Lake, Wis.) 16.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG
R-Sr. G 32 Maesyn Thiesen (5-7, Sauk Centre, Minn.) 6.7 PPG, 3.2 RPG
Sr. G 23 Kaylee Nelson (5-8, Roseville, Minn.) 4.2 PPG, 1.8 RPG
Top Bench Players
Jr. G 3 Taya Hakamaki (5-9, Cromwell, Minn.) 6.8, 2.7 RPG
Fr. F 42 Lexi Karge (6-2, Mankato, Minn.) 2.3 PPG, 1.7 RPG
Jr. G/F 31 Ella Gilbertson (6-0, Lake Zurich, Ill.) 8.7 PPG, 3.2 RPG

St. Cloud State
Projected Starters
Fr. G 11 Jada Eggebrecht (5-9, Phillips, Wis.) 14.2 PPG, 2.0 RPG
Jr. G 21 Tori Peschel (5-9, Sauk Centre, Minn.) 6.6 PPG, 6.8 RPG
R-Sr. G 32 Kelsey Peschel (5-6, Sauk Centre, Minn.) 5.8 PPG, 1.6 RPG
Jr. F 34 Dru Henning (5-10, Mukwanago, Wis.) 5.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG
R-Sr. F 45 Katrina Theis (5-11, Maple Grove, Minn.) 9.6 PPG, 7.8 RPG
Top Bench Players
Sr. G 3 Elizabeth Wortz (5-6, Hutchinson, Minn.) 1.8 PPG
Jr. G 22 Makenna Vanzant (5-7, Farmington, Ark.) 5.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG
Sr. G 25 Abigail Groeneweg (5-8, Forest Lake, Minn.) 4.6 PPG, 3.2 RPG
Jr. F 33 Jasmine Litt (6-0, Pulaski, Wis.) 4.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG
Fr. F 40 Ashley Sawicki (6-1, Waunakee, Wis.) 3.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG


#Tidbits

MINNESOTA DULUTH. The Bulldogs are off to another great start this season, having won three in a row before falling to Michigan Tech by 15 last Saturday. UMD is 1-0 in the NSIC with a win over St. Cloud State last Tuesday. Minnesota Duluth has had the upper hand in the series as of late with the Golden Eagles, winning the last seven games, with all but two being by double-figures.

BROOKE IS BACK. It seems like Brooke Olson has been a Bulldog forever. The graduate student from Rice Lake, Wis., is one of the best players in the nation. She can score at all three levels and scored in double-figures in five of the six Bulldog games this season. The two-time NSIC North Player of the Year and two-time WBCA first-team All American looks well on her way to more accolades this season. Olson is averaging 16.3 points per game and more than six rebounds per game. Olson struggled in the loss to the Huskies, scoring just four points on 2-15 shooting from the field.

DO THE LITTLE THINGS. The Bulldogs have been a premier program in the NSIC and the Central Region for the last number of years. Olson has been a big reason for that, as has graduate student Maesyn Thiesen. The Sauk Centre, Minn., native does so much of the little stuff that helps a team win. So far this season, Thiesen has yet to score more than ten points in a game, but she ranks eighth in the NSIC with 3.5 assists per game and is 20th in steals per game as well.

LOCK YOU UP. Minnesota Duluth doesn't score the ball as well as they might like to. In fact, early in the season, they currently rank last in the conference with 58.8 points per game. Turns out, when you have a defense as good as the Bulldogs, that will win you a lot of games. Minnesota Duluth gives up just over 56 points per game, second in the NSIC, just behind Winona State. The Golden Eagles score 64 points per game, but give up 74.6 points per game on the defensive side.

ST. CLOUD STATE. There has been some turnover on the roster this season for the Huskies, who lost a number of contributors due to graduation from last season. The Huskies are 3-2 on the season and have a pair of opponents in common with the Golden Eagles; A 33-point loss to Michigan Tech and a four point win over Northern Michigan in their last game.

EXPERIENCE. Katrina Theis brings a ton of experience to the Huskies. The fifth-year senior from the Twin Cities started out the season with a double-double against Valley City State and three straight double digit scoring outputs. Last season, Theis scored a career-high 19 points against the Golden Eagles. Stopping Theis will be key this weekend.

STARS ARE BRIGHT. The Huskies have a star in Jada Eggebrecht. The freshman from Phillips, Wis., leads the Huskies in scoring with 14.2 points per game and is the only Huskie averaging more than 10 points per game. Eggebrecht is a 38 percent 3-point shooter and is a light's out shooter. It could be a good matchup with Eggebrecht and fellow freshman, Emma Miller of the Golden Eagles.

LOCK YOU UP, PART 2. Much like the Bulldogs, the Huskies will lock you up when you have the ball. Albeit a small sample size, the Huskies have allowed their opponents to score more than 55 points just once this season, a loss to Michigan Tech. SCSU currently ranks fourth in the NSIC in total defense and they allow opponents to shoot just 27 percent from deep.