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

#WBBNOTES

• THE MINNESOTA CROOKSTON women's basketball team has a new look going into the 2022-23 season. Minnesota Crookston returns six players from last season led by Bren Fox (R-Sr., F/C, Norwood Young America, Minn.), who averaged 8.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game last season. Minnesota Crookston has five other returnees, but the other eight players are brand new to the Golden Eagles. Minnesota Crookston is excited for their confluence of youth and experience heading into the 2022-23 campaign.

• FOX IN THE BOX. Fox has been a staple for the Golden Eagles for the last four seasons. She is back for her fifth and final season in Crookston. Fox has 601 career points and 498 career rebounds for the Golden Eagles. She currently ranks ninth in a career for rebounds. She will be crucial in the post both offensively and defensively for UMN Crookston. In addition, she will be instrumental as a leader for the young players.

• FRESHMEN. Minnesota Crookston will look to their freshmen to play big roles this season. The Golden Eagles have six freshmen on the roster with Emma Dudycha, Emma Miller, Hope Dudycha, Taryn Frazer, Natalie Mikrot, Dana Melby, and Janie Tormanen. All six are battling for time this season and will figure into the equation in some way. They all had strong high school careers and will look to translate that into the NSIC.

• TRANSFERS. Minnesota Crookston added two transfers to the roster for the 2022-23 season. Erika Lane comes from right down the road at the University of North Dakota. The Breezy Point, N.D. native played a limited role for the Fighting Hawks, but looks poised to aid the Golden Eagles this season. Nicole Hernandez comes over from Lindenwood University, where she averaged 1.4 points and 1.5 rebounds per game last season.

• FAMILIAR OPPONENTS. Although the Golden Eagles have a number of new players on the 2022-23 roster, one thing has stayed constant: Opening the season with Nebraska-Kearney and Northwest Missouri State. This will be the third time in four seasons that Minnesota Crookston has opened up the regular season with the Lopers and Bearcats. There has been a pattern. In 2019, Minnesota Crookston opened up their record 6-1 start with a pair of wins against Nebraska-Kearney and Northwest Missouri State. Last season, the Golden Eagles fell to both the Lopers, who were ranked at the time and the Bearcats to open the season. Maybe the pattern holds and the Golden Eagles will leave Kearney with a pair of huge victories.

• PAGE TURNER. Alex Page returns for her sophomore season for the Golden Eagles. The sophomore from Grand Forks, N.D., will look to have an elevated role during the 2022-23 season. As a freshman, Page notched 4.5 points and 3.2
rebounds per game, playing in 21 games. She averaged 18.7 minutes last season, coming mostly off the bench. Her best game came with 14 points against Minot State University February 5.

• BACK AT IT. Abigail Leach is back for her second season in the program. The redshirt junior is planning to take an extra year for the Golden Eagles, planning to come back for 2023-24. Leach played in 21 games, starting 11 last season. She averaged 4.0 points per game, shooting 35.1 percent from beyond the arc. Leach will be a crucial part for UMN Crookston heading into the 2022-23 season.

• RETURNERS. The Golden Eagles have six players returning to the fray, with Fox, Page, Leach, Lily Orazem (So., G, Onamia, Minn.), Veronica Schwartz (Sr., F, Parkers Prairie, Minn.), and Eden Golliher (Jr., G/F, Iron River, Mich.). All six had experience last season, and will look to play key roles for UMN Crookston.

• 17 YEARS. Head Coach Mike Roysland is back for his 17th year at the helm for UMN Crookston. Roysland was awarded NSIC Coach of the Year accolades following the 2014-15 season. He has helped Minnesota Crookston to four NSIC Tournament quarterfinal appearances. Roysland is the second-winningest Golden Eagle coach during the NCAA Division II era. He will help Minnesota Crookston look to get back to winning ways during the 2022-23 season.

• RECORD AGAINST OPPOSITION. The Golden Eagles are 1-2 against Nebraska Kearney, playing the Lopers three times in the last four seasons. Their lone win came with a 71-59 victory November 9, 2018 in Wayne, Neb. UMN Crookston is also 1-2 against Northwest Missouri State, playing the Bearcats three times in the last four seasons. They defeated Northwest
Missouri State 79-71 November 10, 2018 in Wayne, Neb.


GAMEDAY

Minnesota Crookston @ Nebraska-Kearney
DATE: Fri., Nov. 11
TIME: 7 p.m.
SITE: Kearney, Neb.
ARENA: Health & Sports Center
Watch Live: https://themiaanetwork.com/unklopers/
Live Stats: https://lopers.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
Listen Live: https://listen.streamon.fm/krvnfm


Minnesota Crookston vs Northwest Missouri State
DATE: Sat. Nov. 12
TIME: 2 p.m.
SITE: Kearney, Neb.
ARENA: Health & Sports Center
Watch Live: https://themiaanetwork.com/unklopers/
Live Stats: https://lopers.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary


KEYS TO THE WEEKEND

- Can the Golden Eagles set the one early in the season against Nebraska Kearney and Northwest Missouri State?

- What freshmen will step up in the first games of their collegiate careers?

- What role will Bren Fox have as the most experienced player on the roster heading into the match-ups?

- Can the Golden Eagles slow down Elisa Backes for Nebraska Kearney?

- Can UMN Crookston limit Molly Hartnett and Peyton Kelderman in the game against the Bearcats?

- Who will step up on the boards for UMN Crookston?


MINNESOTA CROOKSTON GOLDEN EAGLES
Head Coach: Mike Roysland (Bemidji State, 1980)
Career Record: 135-286 (17th Season at Minnesota Crookston)
2015 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Coach of the Year


NEBRASKA KEARNEY LOPERS
Head Coach: Carrie Eighmey (Hastings College, 2004)
Career Record: 137-69 (Eighth Season at Nebraska Kearney)


NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE BEARCATS
Head Coach: Austin Meyer (Northwest Missouri State University, 2006)
Career Record: 44-65 (Fifth Season at Northwest Missouri State)


WEEKLY SNAPSHOT

MINNESOTA CROOKSTON
Returners
R-Sr. F/C 23 Bren Fox (6-3, Norwood Young America, Minn.) 8.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG
R-Jr. G/F 21 Abigail Leach (6-0, Wyoming, Minn.) 4.0 PPG, 1.8 RPG
Sr. G/F 25 Veronica Schwartz (5-10, Parkers Prairie, Minn.) 0.6 PPG, 0.9 RPG
So. G 24 Lily Orazem (5-9, Onamia, Minn.) 2.3 PPG, 1.0 RPG
So. F 20 Alex Page (6-0, Grand Forks, N.D.) 4.5 PPG, 3.2 RPG
Jr. F 10 Eden Golliher (6-0, Iron River, Mich.) 1.0 PPG, 1.4 RPG

Top Newcomers
So. G 5 Erika Lane (5-10, Breezy Point, Minn.) Transfer from North Dakota
Jr. F 4 Nicole Hernandez (6-2, Oak Creek, Wis.) Transfer from Lindenwood
Fr. G 1 Emma Miller (5-1, Albertville, Minn.) All-State at St. Michael-Albertville H.S.
Fr. G 3 Taryn Frazer (5-4, Cass Lake, Minn.) 2,000 points at Cass Lake-Bena H.S.
Fr. G 11 Natalie Mikrot (5-6, Willow River, Minn.) 2,000 points at Moose Lake-Willow River H.S.

NEBRASKA KEARNEY
Top Returners
R-Sr. F 5 Elisa Backes (6-2, Salina, Kan.) 12.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG
Jr. G 23 Trinity Law (5-9, Brandon, S.D.) 8.8 PPG, 2.6 RPG
R-Sr. G/F 20 Klaire Kirsch (5-11, Rapid City, S.D.) 8.4 PPG, 9.0 RPG
R-Sr. C 45 Brooke Carlson (6-1, Elkhorn, Neb.) 8.3 PPG, 4.6 RPG
R-Jr. F 25 Shiloh McCool (5-11, Pleasant Hill, Iowa) 8.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG
R-Jr. G 3 Sarah Schmitt (5-8, Swisher, Iowa) 5.4 PPG, 2.6 RPG
R-Sr. F 15 Maegan Holt (6-0, Council Bluffs, Iowa) 4.4 PPG, 1.8 RPG
R-So. G/F 33 Meg Burns (5-11, Ankeny, Iowa) 1.4 PPG, 0.9 RPG
So. G/F 12 Samantha Moore (6-0, Mullen, Neb.) 2.1 PPG, 1.1 RPG


NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE
Top Returners
So. G 5 Molly Hartnett (5-9, Overland Park, Kan.) 11.6 PPG, 2.0 RPG
So. G 10 Peyton Kelderman (5-9, Urbandale, Iowa) 8.3 PPG, 2.8 RPG
So. G 3 Evelyn Vazquez (5-5, Kansas City, Kan.) 5.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG
Jr. F 35 Paityn Rau (6-2, Waukee, Iowa) 4.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG
So. F 15 Kelsey Fields (6-2, Creston, Iowa) 4.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG
Jr. F 32 Jayna Green (6-0, Omaha, Neb.) 4.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG
So. F 22 Jillian Fleming (6-0, Kansas City, Mo.) 3.9 PPG, 1.5 RPG
So. G/F 23 Emma Atwood (5-10, Leon, Iowa) 3.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG
So. G 13 Caely Kesten (5-8, Lawrence, Kan.) 2.9 PPG, 0.9 RPG


#Tidbits

NEBRASKA KEARNEY. The Lopers went 24-8 during the 2021-22 season. Nebraska Kearney made it to the NCAA Central Region Tournament, where they lost to Missouri Western State University in the second round. The Lopers are guided by Elisa Backes, who averaged 12.4 points and 4.4 rebounds a season ago. The Lopers averaged 65.0 points per game last season, allowing 56.1 points per game to their opponents. Nebraska Kearney shot 43.8 percent from the field, and 30.5 percent from beyond the arc.

BACKES BACK AT IT. Elisa Backes is a two-time All-MIAA honoree. She is back at it to lead the Lopers. Backes averaged 12.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per tilt. She shot 35.2 percent from beyond the arc last season, and 42.6 percent from the field. Backes had a season-high 24 points February 25 against Missouri Western State.

FIFTH YEAR IS A CHARM. Nebraska Kearney has a very experienced roster returning to the fray for the 2022-23 season. The Lopers have four fifth-year seniors on their roster this season. Nebraska Kearney is guided by Elisa Backes, Maegen Holt, Klaire Kirsch, and Brooke Carlson. All four will be crucial for the Lopers this season.

AGAINST TOP COMPETITION. Nebraska Kearney had a warm-up against one of the top teams in the country in NCAA Division I, the University of Iowa. Iowa defeated the Lopers 108-29. Nebraska Kearney was guided by six points apiece from Backes, Shiloh McCool, and Meg Burns.

KIRSCH REBOUNDING IT. Klaire Kirsch was Nebraska Kearney's leading rebounder a season ago. She averaged at a 9.0 rebounds per game clip last season. In addition, Kirsch notched 8.4 points per game and shot 35.2 percent from beyond the arc last season.

NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE. Northwest Missouri State is coming off a 17-12 mark during the 2022-23 season. The Bearcats averaged 59.0 points per game and allowed 56.7 points per game to opposition. Northwest Missouri State is guided by Molly Hartnett, who notched 11.6 points per game last season. The Bearcats shot 30.8 percent from beyond the arc a season ago. They hit at a 40.0 percent clip from the field in 2021-22.

MISS MOLLY. Hartnett was a key piece for the Bearcats a season ago. She shot 39.1 percent from the field, 31.6 percent from beyond the arc, and averaged 11.6 points per game. Hartnett also dished out a team-high 73 assists a season ago.

KELDERMAN SISTERS. Sisters Peyton and Lindsey Kelderman will be key pieces for Northwest Missouri State this season. Peyton Kelderman started 28 games last season, averaging 8.3 points per game. She shot 34.0 percent from beyond the arc. Lindsey redshirted her initial season with the Bearcats. Peyton Kelderman led the team with 21 points in their exhibition against Doane. Lindsey had six off the bench.

EXHIBITIONS. Northwest Missouri State played exhibitions against Missouri, Drake, and Doane this season. They lost 70-27 to Missouri. Evelyn Vazquez led the way with eight points. Against Drake, Northwest Missouri State fell 84-41. They were guided by 14 points from Peyton Kelderman. The Bearcats defeated Doane 74-70 in their final tune-up guided by 21 points from Peyton Kelderman.