Minnesota Crookston Men Look to Continue Winning Ways at No. 3 MSU Moorhead Tuesday; Home Against St. Cloud State on Thursday

#TIDBITS

Golden Eagle men's basketball will have a pretty odd schedule the next three weeks or so. The Golden Eagles will be on the road tomorrow night at top-five MSU Moorhead and then will be at home on Thursday against St. Cloud State, looking for some revenge from earlier this season when the Huskies defeated the Golden Eagles by four. Following that game against the Huskies, the Golden Eagles will play the following Thursday at home against Bemidji State and head back on the road to Aberdeen to take on Northern State. With 15 teams now in the NSIC, it is an odd schedule and the Golden Eagles will see that in the upcoming weeks.

·   TUESDAY IS TWO DAY. Playing on a Tuesday might be odd for the NSIC. In fact, the Golden Eagles and Dragons will be just one of three games on Tuesday, joining Minnesota Duluth-Minnesota State and Winona State-Concordia-St. Paul. The Golden Eagles are playing on a Tuesday for the second time this season, but dating back to 2018, the Golden Eagles have had success playing on the second day of the week. Since 2018-19, Minnesota Crookston is 2-1 on Tuesday's, with wins over future NSIC foe Jamestown and the University of Sioux Falls. The lone loss came last season at Bemidji State, a five point loss to the Beavers. Minnesota Crookston will look to continue their Tuesday success against the Dragons.

• CONFERENCE LEADER. When the Golden Eagles need a bucket or a big play, they will more than likely turn to their star, Blaize Sagna. The junior from London has turned into a superstar and he proved it yet again this weekend against Minnesota Duluth and Concordia-St. Paul. Sagna averaged 28.5 points per game on 53 percent shooting from the field. Against CSP, Sagna scored 34 points, including 27 in the second half and buried four three's, which tied a season-high. In the last 10 minutes against the Golden Bears, Sagna finished with 11 points. Sagna has been outstanding this year and he leads the conference in scoring heading into a pair of games this week.

·  WIN IT WITH DEFENSE. Sure, the buckets down the stretch for the Golden Eagles were huge, but the win might be remembered for the Golden Eagles ability to get a stop when they desperately needed one. The Golden Bears last points came with 1:36 left in the game and the Golden Eagles would have to get stops to win the game. They got those stops and with the help of Aguek Deng, who had two blocks on the Golden Bears final two possessions, the Golden Eagles were able to get back into the win column.

·   GRANT THE GREAT.  There haven't been many times this season where Reid Grant has been held below the 10 point mark. It has happened just four times this season, including a season-low one point against the University of Sioux Falls earlier this month. In the three games since that game against the Cougars, Grant is averaging 17.3 points per game in the three games and is shooting 50 percent from behind the three point line. Grant went on a 8-0 run by himself midway through the first half to help the Golden Eagles get back in the game against the Golden Bears.

·   THAT'S DENG NICE. Speaking of great performances, we would be remiss if we didn't mention the impact that Aguek Deng had on the game. Deng finished with 12 points, the first time since Dec. 2 against Bemidji State that Deng finished in double-figures. The junior also played 33 minutes, one behind a season-high and he also finished with six rebounds and four blocks, including two in the final 30 seconds to help seal the Golden Eagles win. Deng leads the NSIC in blocks by a wide margin and he showed why he is not only the conference's best, but also one of the nation's best.

·   J-MITCH IS IMPACTFUL. Speaking of blocks, Jordan Mitchell proved last Friday night why the Golden Eagles are the best shot blocking team in the NSIC, as the redshirt junior from Columbus, Ohio also finished with four blocks against UMD. Mitchell has also proved that he can stuff the stat sheet. Mitchell has had less than six rebounds in a game on just five separate occasions and has a pair of four block games. Mitchell has made such an impact for the Golden Eagles and they will look for more of the same this weekend.

• REVERSE THE NUMBERS. Last time the Dragons and Golden Eagles played there were some glaring numbers that shifted in favor of MSUM. The Dragons, who were No. 3 in the nation at that time, doubled up the Golden Eagles in free throws, shooting 24 compared to 12 for the Golden Eagles. The other big number was turnovers; The Golden Eagles turned the ball over 14 times, while the Dragons finished with just six. Turning the Dragons might be easier said than done, as MSUM turns the ball over just 8.5 times per game, which ranks third nationally and they are first with turnover margin, winning the battle by almost five per game. If the Golden Eagles can change those numbers from the last time these two teams met, it could be a fun one on Tuesday night.


Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Bryan Beamish
Record at UMC: 8-40 Season at UMC: Eighth Season (Second as Head Coach)


MSUM Dragons
Head Coach: Tim Bergstraser
Record at MSUM: 42-10  Season at MSUM: 2nd Season


St. Cloud State Huskies
Head Coach: Quincy Henderson
Record at SCSU: 18-30  Season at SCSU: 2nd Season


Minnesota Crookston @ MSU Moorhead
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 30
Time: 7:30 P.M.
Place: Moorhead, Minn. / Nemzek Fieldhouse
Watch: https://nsicnetwork.com/msumdragons/
Live Stats: https://www.msumdragons.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Series Record: MSUM leads 36-11
Last Meeting: 84-67 win for the Dragons earlier this year in Crookston
Officials: Ben Wolden, Brad Sylliaasen, Kaden Keuneman


St. Cloud State @ Minnesota Crookston
Date: Thursday, Feb. 1
Time: 7:30 P.M.
Place: Crookston, Minn. / Lysaker Gymnasium
Watch: https://nsicnetwork.com/goldeneaglesports/
Live Stats: https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Record: SCSU leads 33-4
Last Meeting: 64-60 win for the Huskies in St. Cloud earlier this season
Officials: Jeff Mosca, Mike Gullingsrud and Nate Meissner


Weekly Snapshot

Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles (6-14)
Projected Starters
Jr. G 3 Reid Grant (6-3, Johnston, Iowa) 14.1 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.5 APG
Jr. G 1 Blaize Sagna (6-3, London, England) 22.9 PPG, 4.7 RPG
R-Jr. F 13 Aguek Deng (6-9, Des Moines, Iowa) 6.3 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 1.9 BPG
Jr. F 33 Ben Hoverson (6-6, Grand Forks, N.D.) 5.9 PPG, 1.9 RPG
R-Jr. F 10 Jordan Mitchell (6-8, Columbus, Ohio) 5.3 PPG, 6.1 RPG
Top Bench Players
R-Sr. F 2 De'Antray Hughes (6-7 New Orleans, La.) 4.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG
R-Fr. G 12 Peter Fuchs, Jr. (6-4, Wausau, Wis.) 6.2 PPG, 1.5 RPG
Fr. G 11 Myles Adams (6-6, Rosemount, Minn.) 2.4 PPG, 1.3 RPG
Fr. G 24 Mario Adams (6-6, Rosemount, Minn.) 2.8 PPG, 1.9 RPG
No. 5 MSU Moorhead Dragons (17-3)
Projected Starters
Jr. G 0 Jamir Price (6-3, Rock Island, Ill.) 13.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG
Jr. G 4 Jacob Beeninga (6-0, Maple Grove, Minn.) 18.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG
So. F 5 Logan Kinsey (6-6, Blaine, Minn.) 11.3 PPG, 5.1 RPG
Jr. G 22 Gabe Myren (6-3, Blaine, Minn.) 9.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG
Sr. F 24 Dane Zimmer (6-7, Hopkins, Minn.) 9.3 PPG, 9.1 RPG
Top Bench Players
Jr. G 1 Ja'Kair Sanchez (6-4, Syracuse, NY) 11.4 PPG, 3.2 RPG
So. G 10 Eddie Beeninga (6-1, Maple Grove, Minn.) 3.1 PPG, 1.5 RPG
So. F 25 Jacob Jennissen (7-1, Sauk Centre, Minn.) 4.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG
So. F 13 Owen Hektner (6-8, Fargo, N.D.) 2.6 PPG, 1.3 RPG
St. Cloud State Huskies (8-12)
Projected Starters
Fr. G 1 Anish Ramlall (6-2, Rosemount, Minn.) 9.8 PPG, 2.4 RPG
Sr. G 4 Joe Mutimer (5-11, Melbourne, Australia) 5.7 PPG, 2.2 RPG
Fr. G 20 Vance Peiffer (6-7, Waukee, Iowa) 6.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG
Fr. G 34 Lucas Morgan (6-4, Sydney, Australia) 10.2 PPG, 5.8 RPG
Gr. F 32 Luke Taylor (6-6,  Germantown, Wis.) 10.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG
Top Bench Players
Fr. G 3 Jamiir Allen (5-11, Milwaukee, Wis.) 10.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG
Fr. G 10 Nate Dahl (5-11, Buffalo, Minn.) 4.6 PPG, 2.7 RPG
Fr. F 42 Wyatt Hawks (6-7, White Bear Lake, Minn.) 5.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG
Sr. F 22 Matt Willert (6-6, Buffalo, Minn.) 8.1 PPG, 3.2 RPG
R-So. G 24 Tony Dahl (6-3, Buffalo, Minn.) 2.5 PPG, 1.9 RPG


#HEADLINES


1. The Dragons and Golden Eagles meet again

2. Can the Golden Eagles pull off an upset against MSUM?

3. Blaize Sagna continues to lead the NSIC in scoring

4. 47 second half points against CSP were the most by the Golden Eagles in a half this season

5. Looking to avenge earlier season loss to SCSU


KNOW THE OPPONENTS

MSU Moorhead. The Dragons are coming off of a tough weekend. For the first time this season, the Dragons were swept in NSIC play, making it the first time in more than two years that has happened to the Dragons. MSU Moorhead lost to Winona State by 11 and then lost an instant classic on Saturday to Minnesota State in a battle of top-five teams. The Dragons are still a top-five team and might be an upset group on Tuesday night.

PICK YOUR POISON. The Dragons have a star in Jacob Beeninga and they have surrounded him with outstanding scorers all over the floor. MSUM currently has four scorers that are averaging double-digits, led by Beeninga. JaMir Price, Ja'Kair Sanchez and Logan Kinsey each average over the ten point threshold and they have two players in Dane Zimmer and Gabe Myren who average over nine points per game. Their offensive balance makes them super dangerous.

THE DRAGON DEN. MSUM is simply a really good team. They are a really, really good team when they get to play on their home floor. Ever since the 2017-18 season, when MSUM was a game below .500 on their home floor, they have not had a losing home record and have won at least nine games on their home floor since that point (besides 2020-21). This year, MSUM is 6-1 at home and has beaten the Golden Eagles the last two times these two programs met in Moorhead.

FREE STILL PAYS OFF. The Dragons are really, really good at getting to the free throw line. This season, MSUM has been to the free throw line 105 more times than their opponents and have made 102 more than their opponents. MSUM has shot more free throws in 17 of their 20 games this season, but have been outshot at the charity stripe the last two games, including a 32-10 advantage for Minnesota State last Saturday.

St. Cloud State. The Huskies are in the middle of a three game losing streak, which means that Thursday's game in Crookston is extra large. The Huskies already knocked off the Golden Eagles earlier this year and will look to sweep the Golden Eagles for the fifth straight season in the season series.

LAND OF LUCAS. Lucas Morgan is at the forefront of sort of a youth movement in St. Cloud and he has had a nice first season as a Husky. The freshman from Australia leads the Huskies in scoring at 10.2 points per game and scored a career-high 25 points against Pittsburg State earlier this season. The last time these two teams met, Morgan shot 2-8 from the field but did finish with nine points and 11 rebounds.

PUT THE CLAMPS ON. The last time these two teams met, St. Cloud State was outstanding on the defensive side of the ball. The Huskies allowed the Golden Eagles to score just 60 points, the second lowest they have allowed this season. To go along with that, they also gave up just 13 points to Blaize Sagna, the second lowest of the season for Sagna. SCSU will look for that same success defensively this Thursday.

WIN THE BOARDS BATTLE. When the Huskies win games, the first thing people should look at is the rebounding battle. When SCSU has won games, they have won the rebounding battle. The Huskies have won six of their eight games this season when they have won the rebounding battle and one of those games they lost was a 47 point win over Minnesota Morris, where they lost the rebounding battle by one. In the game earlier this year, SCSU won the boards battle by six and will look to do the same on Thursday.