Big One on Tap as Golden Eagles Head to Bismarck for Lone Game of Weekend at University of Mary


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Golden Eagle men's basketball had a weekend that showed they can play with anybody and with a bounce here and there, they will be anybody, as well. The Golden Eagles lost a pair of games by just five points and fell in heartbreaking fashion on Saturday afternoon in Bemidji, losing on a buzzer-beater. The Golden Eagles will look to bounce back this weekend with just one road game, this Thursday, at the University of Mary. The Golden Eagles and Marauders have had some thrilling games and this Thursday should be no different.

·   TOUGH TO SCORE IF YOU CAN'T SOAR. Minnesota Crookston might have had their best defensive output this past weekend of the season against the Huskies and Beavers. Then again, the Golden Eagles have been able to win games because of their improved and solid defense. Minnesota Crookston held SCSU to 64 points this past weekend and BSU to just 63, their season low and well below their season average. Although they lost a pair of tough games this past weekend, head coach Bryan Beamish has to love his team's chances in every game this season due to their defensive prowess.

• DO THE LITTLE THINGS, J MITCH. Jordan Mitchell is kind of like that piece to the puzzle that always fits perfectly. The redshirt junior from Columbus, Ohio comes off the bench for the maroon and gold and always seems to make an impact. On Friday night against St. Cloud State, Mitchell scored just two points, but he pulled down eight rebounds and collected two steals. On Saturday against the Beavers, he was great as well, pulling down four rebounds, gathering two steals and scoring four points, including two gigantic free throws down the stretch to give the Golden Eagles the lead. Mitchell is a perfect piece off the bench and he will look to continue his strong play throughout this season.

·  PILOT PETE. Another player that has made a huge impact off the bench has been Peter Fuchs, Jr. The redshirt freshman from Wausau, Wis., missed all of last year due to injury, but he is fully healthy this year and is making a huge impact as one of the first players off the bench for the Golden Eagles. Fuchs, Jr., has scored in all but one game this season and is averaging just over six points per game in his last three games, including a career-high nine against St. Cloud State. The Golden Eagles have needed impacts from different players on the roster and they have gotten that from Fuchs, Jr., off the bench.

·   REID THE ROOM.  Although it was a pair of close losses for the Golden Eagles, Reid Grant was phenomenal for the maroon and gold this past weekend. In fact, Grant has been phenomenal all season long. This weekend, Grant averaged 19.5 points, five rebounds and 7.5 assists per game. Grant has scored double-figures in every game this season and gold this season and scored a career best 23 points on 9-13 shooting from the field. Grant is efficient and makes plays on top of plays for the Golden Eagles.

·    3>2. As a team, the Golden Eagles are shooting an outstanding percentage from the field. Their 38 percent from deep is 6th in the NSIC and is in the top half nationally, ranking 120 out of more than 270 teams. The Golden Eagles are on pace to shoot the best percentage from long range since the special 2018-2019 team, who shot 41 percent from deep as a team. Both Grant and Blaize Sagna are shooting 20-42 from deep, good for 47 percent from the field. Freaky Friday? Nope, that's just college basketball.

·   KEEP THEM ON THE FLOOR. Minnesota Crookston has had the same starting five in all eight games and that has helped the Golden Eagles on both ends of the floor. The Golden Eagles have three players that are averaging more than 30 minutes per game: Reid Grant, Blaize Sagna and Aguek Deng. Maybe not coincidentally, those three also lead the Golden Eagles in scoring, with Sagna and Grant in the top-12 in the NSIC in scoring. Minnesota Crookston relies heavily on those three to make an impact on both ends of the floor.

• PASS THE DISHES. We have talked about Reid Grant and his scoring prowess, but one thing that might be less noticed is his passing ability. Grant has 38 assists on the season and is averaging more than five assists in his last three games, including a career-high eight assist game against the Huskies of St. Cloud State. Through eight games, Grant has been the straw that has stirred the drink offensively and the junior being number one in the NSIC in assists proves that statement.


Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Bryan Beamish
Record at UMC: 5-31 Season at UMC: Eighth Season (Second as Head Coach)


University of Mary Marauders
Head Coach: Jack Nelson
Record at UMARY: 26-35 Season at UMARY: 3rd Season


Minnesota Crookston @ UMary
Date: Thursday, Dec. 7
Time: 5:30 P.M.
Place: McDowell Activities Center / Bismarck, N.D.
Watch: https://nsicnetwork.com/goumary/
Live Stats: https://goumary.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Series Record: UMary leads the all-time series, 23-11
Last Meeting: 84-77 win in OT for the Marauders
Officials: Mark Riggs, Chad Bjornson, Reid Flaagan


Weekly Snapshot

Minnesota Crookston (3-5)
Projected Starters
Jr. G 3 Reid Grant (6-3, Johnston, Iowa) 16.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG
Jr. G 1 Blaize Sagna (6-3, London, England) 19.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG
R-Jr. F 13 Aguek Deng (6-9, Des Moines, Iowa) 9.5 PPG, 8.9 RPG
R-Sr. F 2 De'Antray Hughes (6-7 New Orleans, La.) 5.9 PPG, 7.1 RPG
Jr. F 33 Ben Hoverson (6-6, Grand Forks, N.D.) 6.4 PPG, 1.8 RPG
Top Bench Players
R-Jr. F 10 Jordan Mitchell (6-8, Columbus, Ohio) 2.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG
R-Fr. G 12 Peter Fuchs, Jr. (6-4, Wausau, Wis.) 5.6 PPG, 1.4 RPG

University of Mary Marauders
Projected Starters
Sr. G 0 Zyon Smith (6-4, Montgomery, Ala.) 13.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG
Jr. G 2 Gerald Gittens (6-0, Brooklyn, N.Y.) 14.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG
So. G 13 Gunner Swanson (6-5, Bismarck, N.D.) 5.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG
So. F 23 Xavier Lewis (6-6, Lynwood, Ill.) 8.6 PPG, 7.1 RPG
So. F 24 Brock Heffner (6-8, Grafton, Wis.) 11.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG
Top Bench Players
So. G 3 Marquel Saleek (6-0, Villa Park, Ill.) 3.7 PPG, .7 RPG
Jr. F 10 Rich Ashu (6-8, London, England) 3.6 PPG, 3.4 RPG
Fr. G 11 Alex Mattes (6-3, Woodbury, Minn.) 5.9 PPG, 1.6 RPG
So. F 14 Ty Rogers (6-7, Aurora, Ill.) 7.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG


KNOW THE OPPONENTS

UMARY. Something is going to have to give on Thursday night in the MAC. UMary is looking for their first NSIC win, as are the Golden Eagles. UMary has lost to a pair of NSIC powerhouses to open up their conference season to Northern State and MSU Moorhead. Of their four wins, just one of the Marauder wins are over an NCAA Division II team; That win came over Northeastern State on Nov. 11 in Oklahoma. The Marauders will look to bounce back after falling by 40 to nationally-ranked MSU Moorhead on Saturday.

NO SHOCK WITH BROCK. Brock Heffner has acclimated nicely to Bismarck and UMary. The transfer from Wisconsin-Green Bay is one of three scorers in double-figures for the Marauders and has four games this season in double-figures, including a dominating 25 point, 11 rebound performance against Mayville State earlier this year.

BROOKLYN TOUGH. Brooklyn, New York has been known for developing outstanding guards throughout the years. The Marauders might have themselves another special one in Gerald Gittens. The junior has scored more than 10 points in every game this season but one and scored a career-high 23 points and a career-high five assists against Mayville State. Gittens was also 10-11 at the charity stripe against the Comets, also a career-high. Stopping Gittens this weekend will be easier said than done.

STRUGGLES AT THE CHARITY STRIPE. One thing that might determine the wins and losses this weekend could be the free throw line. Both Minnesota Crookston and the University of Mary are near the bottom of the NSIC in percentage, with the Marauders at the very bottom, shooting less than 60 percent as a team at the charity stripe. The game might be determined by what team can bury more free throws than their opponent.

LEAVE IT TO LEWIS. Xavier Lewis is as valuable to the Marauders as anyone on their roster. The sophomore from Lynwood, Ill., is averaging 8.6 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game and had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds in the win over Northeastern State. Lewis is just a 33 percent free throw shooter on the season, so if the game is close, that could have an impact.