Crookston, Minn. – Minnesota Crookston held Northern State to 1-22 shooting from deep and 45.5 percent from the field to catapult the Golden Eagles to the 71-64 victory over the Wolves on Saturday afternoon.
Minnesota Crookston improves to 4-7 (1-5 NSIC).
It looked like it would be a solid shooting night for the Wolves, who scored on their first two possessions to take an early 4-0 lead.
Blaize Sagna (Jr., G, London, England) would connect on a three to cut the lead to one.
NSU would take a 10-5 lead, but back-to-back buckets from Sagna and
Jordan Mitchell (R-Jr., F, Columbus, Ohio) would cut the lead to 10-9.
The game would be tied at 14, but a 7-0 run, capped off by a
Peter Fuchs, Jr. (R-Fr., G, Wausau, Wis.) layup would give the Golden Eagles a 21-14 lead.
Ben Hoverson (Jr., F, Grand Forks, N.D.) would connect on a three to give the Golden Eagles their largest lead of the game at 26-16.
NSU would go on a 6-0 run of their own to make it 28-26, but
Reid Grant (Jr., G, Johnston, Iowa) would finish a layup to regain a four point lead.
Sagna would finish a layup right before the buzzer to give the Golden Eagles a 34-30 lead after the first 20 minutes.
NSU would come out of the halftime break and would take a brief 37-36 lead on a Jacksen Moni three, but Hoverson would cash in on another three for a two point lead.
The game would continue to be back-and-forth. NSU would take three leads midway through the half, but for every call, the Golden Eagles were on the other line to answer the call.
Tied at 54, Mitchell would give the Golden Eagles the lead they wouldn't relinquish with a crafty finish. The Golden Eagles would get a stop and then
Aguek Deng (Jr., F, Des Moines, Iowa), who left the game earlier with an injury, hit a huge three to give the Golden Eagles a five point lead.
Two minutes later, with his team up just one, Deng would connect on another three, this time on the opposite wing to give the Golden Eagles a four point lead.
Moni would finish at the rim to cut the Golden Eagle lead to 64-62, but four straight points from Grant and a huge steal from Deng, leading to a Fuchs, Jr., finish on the other end put the icing on the cake for the Golden Eagles in the seven point win.
Sagna led the way with 23 points on 9-18 shooting from the field, while also pulling down seven rebounds and six assists. Grant added 14 rebounds and four assists, while Mitchell scored in double-figures for the second straight time, adding 12 points and eight rebounds. Fuchs, Jr., scored eight points off the bench, while Deng and Hoverson each added six.
The Golden Eagles shot 47.5 percent from the field and made seven more three-pointers than the Wolves.
What's Next
The Golden Eagles will be back in action in two weeks, as they head to Minot to take on the Minot State Beavers on Saturday, Dec. 30 in a non-conference game. Tip-off is set for 3 P.M.
