Minnesota Crookston Men Back on Road at Northern State, MSU Moorhead

#TIDBITS

Golden Eagle men's basketball finally had a home game this past Saturday against St. Cloud State. The Huskies spoiled the home opener and the Golden Eagles will go back on the road this weekend to Northern State and MSU Moorhead. The Golden Eagles will head on the road for the final time in 2022, before being back in Lysaker Gymnasium for three straight games to close out the year. The Golden Eagles will look for a full 40 minutes in both games this weekend.

·   ROSSI RULES. Pedro Rossi had his breakout game on Saturday against St. Cloud State. The Argentinian finished with a career-high 11 points on 5-9 shooting from the field, including just his third three of the season. The sophomore also pulled down a career best five rebounds. The Golden Eagles will hope for more of that from the St. Bonaventure transfer as the season goes along.

• THAT'S A BAD MAN. Rambo Badyal has brought the spark off the bench all season for Minnesota Crookston. In his two year career as a Golden Eagle, Badyal has yet to start a game, but he has brought energy and scoring prowess off the bench. This season, the senior from Kelowna, British Columbia has played 18 or more minutes in six games and has scored double-figures in three of the last four Golden Eagle games. Badyal has also made six shots from deep in his last four games.

·     FOLLOW THE LEADER. Blaize Sagna has been everything the Golden Eagles could've hoped for and then some. The London, England native leads the Golden Eagles in scoring at 14.2 points per game and rebounds with over five per game. Sagna is top-25 in both points per game and rebounding and is currently 18th in minutes played. Blaize has a make from deep in all but one game this season and has scored double-digits in three straight games. Oh yeah, he is only a sophomore as well. The future is golden with Sagna in the fold for the foreseeable future.

·    SEND IT IN YOUNG FELLA. In his second career start as a Golden Eagle, New Orleans native De'Antray Hughes played in 16 minutes, scoring four points and pulling down six rebounds. Hughes might have had one of the most thunderous dunks in a long time for the Golden Eagles. Hughes took a pass from Sagna on a beautiful pick-and-roll and put Matthew Willert on a poster. It sent the bench and Lysaker Gymnasium into a frenzy. It shows the athleticism of the Golden Eagles and Hughes.

·    MAGIC NUMBER 15. Xzavier Jones has been awfully consistent for Minnesota Crookston this season. He has made a dynamic duo in the backcourt with Sagna. The Milwaukee, Wis., native is averaging 11.1 points per game on the season and has scored more than 10 points in six games, including three with a career-high 15 points. Jones also had a double-double earlier this year against Northern Michigan, whom he used to don the colors of. Jones has been solid through the first nine games of the season.

·   SHINE BRIGHT. Tyrese Shines made his season debut on the Friday after Thanksgiving against Presentation and has gotten better with every minute that he has played. Shines finished with three points against Texas A & M-Kingsville, five at Minnesota Duluth and scored seven first half points against St. Cloud State before exiting with an injury. Shines should play a big role down the stretch for the Golden Eagles and he has started to make an impact in his last three games.

• SOLID SHOOTING. Minnesota Crookston is an efficient team from the field. Minnesota Crookston has shot less than 37 percent from the field just once this season, a loss to National powerhouse Northwest Missouri State. The Golden Eagles have shot over 43 percent from the field in five straight games and have a game where they shot 54 percent at Northern Michigan. If the Golden Eagles take care of the ball, they have the potential to be a very good offensive team.


Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Bryan Beamish
Record at UMC: 1-8 Season at UMC: Eighth Season (First as Head Coach)


Northern State Wolves
Head Coach: Saul Phillips
Record at NSU: 71-23 Season at NSU: 4th Season


MSU Moorhead Dragons
Head Coach: Tim Bergstraser
Record at MSUM: 2-2 Season at MSUM: 1st Season (4th Overall)


Minnesota Crookston @ Northern State
Date: Thursday, Dec. 9
Time: 7:30 P.M.
Place: Aberdeen, S.D. / Wachs Arena
Watch: https://nsicnetwork.com/nsuwolves/
Live Stats:https://nsuwolves.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Series Record: The Wolves lead the all-time series, 42-2
Last Meeting: 81-64 victory for NSU in Aberdeen
Officials: Chad Bjornson, Jordan Rheault, Andy Acosta


Minnesota Crookston @ MSU Moorhead
Date: Sat. Dec. 10
Time: 5:30 P.M.
Place: Moorhead, Minn. / Nemzek Fieldhouse
Watch: https://nsicnetwork.com/msumdragons/
Live Stats: https://www.msumdragons.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Series Record: 33-11 in favor of MSUM
Last Meeting: 77-63 win for MSUM in Moorhead
Officials: Rhett Lamareaux, Mike Gullingsrud, Lucas Pearson


Weekly Snapshot

Minnesota Crookston
Projected Starters
Jr. G 4 Xzavier Jones (6-4, Milwaukee, Wis.) 11.4 PPG, 5.1 RPG
So. G 1 Blaize Sagna (6-3, London, England) 14.1 PPG, 5.1 RPG
R-Jr. G/F 11 Matthew Allman (6-6, London, England) 6.7 PPG, 2.6 RPG
Jr. G/F 24 Dezmond Washington (6-6, Morrilton, Ark.) 10.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG
So. F 14 Pedro Rossi (6-8, Bahia Blanca, Argentina) 3.0 PPG, 2.1 RPG
Top Bench Players
Fr. G 5 Chandler Meeks (6-1, Omaha, Neb.) 5.0 PPG
R-So. F 10 Jordan Mitchell (6-8, Columbus, Ohio) 4.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG
R-Jr. F 2 De'Antray Hughes (6-7 New Orleans, La.) 2.9 PPG, 2.7 RPG
So. G 3 Ron Kirk, Jr. (6-4, Milwaukee, Wis.) 3.9 PPG
Sr. G 20 Rambo Badyal (6-3, Kelowna, British Columbia) 6.0 PPG
Northern State
Projected Starters
Sr. G 5 Sam Masten (6-3, Highlands Ranch, Colo.) 18.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG
R-Sr. F 23 Jordan Belka (6-7, Rogers, Minn.) 14.8 PPG, 6.6 RPG
Sr. G 11 Augustin Reede (6-2, Aberdeen, S.D.) 11.9 PPG, 1.8 RPG
So. F 21 Jackson Mone (6-10, Fargo, N.D.) 13.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG
So. G 12 Josh Dilling (6-4, Oshkosh, Wis.) 8.2 PPG, 2.1 RPG
Top Bench Players
So. F 3 Andrew Bergan (6-8, Aberdeen, S.D.) 2.7 PPG, 2.3 RPG
Fr. F 0 Michael Nhial (6-7, Fargo, N.D.) 4.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG
So. G 10 Trey Longstreet (6-7, Waverly, Minn.) 3.3 PPG, 2.7 RPG
Jr. G/F 24 Kobe Busch (6-5, Huron, S.D.) 4.4 PPG, 2.8 RPG
MSU Moorhead
Projected Starters
Sr. G 1 Lorenzo McGhee (6-5, Decatur, Ga.) 14.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG
So. G 4 Jacob Beeninga (6-0, Maple Grove, Minn.) 15.4 PPG, 5.1 RPG
Sr. F 0 Jaden Stanley-Williams (6-7, Rocky Boy, Mont.) 11.2 PPG, 4.4 RPG
Sr. G 12 Gavin Baumgartner (6-4, Plymouth, Minn.) 12.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG
Jr. F 24 Dane Zimmer (6-7, Hopkins, Minn.) 9.2 PPG, 6.9 RPG
Top Bench Players
Sr. G 5 Trever Kaiser (6-2, Dassel, Minn.) 5.2 PPG, 2.2 RPG
Fr. F 11 Logan Kinsey (6-6, Blaine, Minn.) 5.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG
So. G 22 Gabe Myren (6-3, Blaine, Minn.) 9.5 PPG, 2.0 RPG


KNOW THE OPPONENTS

Northern State. The Wolves are one of the prominent programs in all of Division II. NSU, who is just five years removed from losing in the National title game in 2018, currently sits at 6-3 on the season, splitting at home with UMary and then losing on the road at Minot State. The Wolves are experienced and have one of the best home courts in the entire nation.

STUFF THE STAT SHEET. Sam Masten has been unbelievable for the Wolves this season. The senior from Highlands Ranch, Colo., is 8th in the NSIC in scoring with 18.8 points per game and has scored double-figures in every game this season. Masten opened up the season with three straight 20 or more point games, including a season-high 24 against Missouri Western. Masten also has four or more rebounds in every game this season and three or more assists in every game, including nine against MSU Moorhead and Texas A & M-Kingsville. One of these days, Masten is going to get a triple-double.

HE'S MONI. Jacksen Moni is just a sophomore for the Wolves but is a player they rely on. The Fargo, N.D., native and former West Fargo Sheyenne Mustang is one of four Wolves to average more than ten points a game on the season and finished with a season-high 25 points in the win over MSU Moorhead. In two games against the Golden Eagles last season, Moni averaged 14 points per game.

FAMILIAR FACE. The Golden Eagles will see a familiar face this weekend in Aberdeen. Josh Dilling, who was a member of the Golden Eagles in 2020-21 is now a member of Northern State, after spending a season at Queens University in North Carolina. The Oshkosh, Wis., native has started in eight games this season and is averaging 8.2 points per game on 34 percent shooting from deep. The Golden Eagles will look to slow down Dilling, who onced donned the same uniform not too long ago.

MSU Moorhead. The Dragons are one of the most experienced teams in the NSIC and have not started slow under the direction of first-year head coach Tim Bergstraser. MSUM is off to a 7-2 start, with one of those defeats a one-point loss to No. 5 Black Hills State in Sioux Falls. The Dragons are looking for their fifth straight win over the Golden Eagles, after losing the previous two in the series.

HI, IT'S ME AGAIN. When opponents try to stop the Dragons, there is a good chance the first guy they circle is senior Gavin Baumgartner. The senior from Plymouth has been hurting NSIC opponents for a long time, including the Golden Eagles. In eight games against the Golden Eagles, Baumgartner is averaging 13 points per game, but does have a 31-point output against the Golden Eagles as a redshirt sophomore. Minnesota Crookston will look to slow down Baumgartner this weekend.

MCGHEE MANIA. Lorenzo McGhee, who was tabbed as the Preseason Player of the Year before last season, is also back for the Dragons. The senior from Decatur, Ga., is averaging 14.3 points per game on the season, to go along with a double-double against Colorado State Pueblo earlier this year. McGhee is another experienced Dragon who has made the NCAA Tournament and is expected to lead his team this season.

BEENINGA PIPELINE. For the last several years, should the casual fan look at the Dragon roster, there is a decent chance that you will see a player with the last name 'Beeninga' on the roster. On this year's roster, there are two Beeninga's; Jacob and Eddie. Before Jacob and Eddie, there was Johnny. Turns out, Jacob is key for the Dragons success. The sophomore leads his team in scoring at 15.4 per game and over 4.0 rebounds per game. The Beeninga brothers have been key to the success of MSUM in recent years and that should continue down the road.