Men's Basketball | 1/15/2025 9:57:00 AM

#TIDBITS

Golden Eagle men's basketball is set to hit the road again to finish off this brief four game road trip as they travel down to the State Capital, on Friday, to play Concordia St. Paul and then up north to take on Minnesota Duluth, on Saturday. Following this weekend, the Golden Eagles will return home next weekend to play Wayne State College and Augustana University.


·   SUCCESS IN ST. PAUL. The Golden Eagles have had recent success in the Gangelhoff center coming off a win against the Golden Bears on their homecourt last year 84-82. They will look to extend that success this Friday night.

• GRANT BACK AT GANGELHOFF. In that two-point victory, Reid Grant was stellar. The Senior from Johnstown, Iowa scored 18 points on 7-12 shooting. Aguek Deng also was clutch down the homestretch hitting a free throw to put the Golden Eagles up by two. Deng then blocked a shot on the other end with five seconds left to seal the victory for the Golden Eagles.

·  FIRST OF MANY. Landon Dimler was inserted into the starting lineup this weekend making his first two career starts, and he played well in his new role. Landon played a career high in minutes (32) and grabbed a career high 10 rebounds in his second career start against Minnesota St. Look for Dimler to continue making an impact this weekend. It must've been a cool thing for the youngster to earn his second career start in his hometown of Mankato, against the defending National Champions.

·   CB-DUB.  Christian Bowen-Webb was feeling it from behind the arc this past weekend hitting 3 three pointers Friday night against Winona St. and connected 4 times Saturday against Minnesota St. Look for the Junior to continue this hot shooting stretch this weekend.

·    MINUTES RAISED. GD Deng has seen his minutes grow over the past couple of weekends for Head Coach Bryan Beamish. He scored his first points in a Golden Eagles jersey on Saturday, while also setting a career high in minutes played.

·   NOT IN OUR HOUSE. The Golden Eagles rank in the top third in the conference in blocked shots per game with just over 3.5 a game. Jordan Mitchell leads the Golden Eagles with 26 blocked shots this year. The Redshirt Senior from Columbus, Ohio had a pair of blocked shots in both contests this weekend. Look for Mitchell to continue to protect the rim this weekend.

• DOWN THE HOME STRETCH. The season seemingly just started yesterday, but here we are, 16 games into the season and down the home stretch. The Golden Eagles start an important stretch of games this weekend on the road, before being back home next weekend against Wayne State College and Augustana. The Golden Eagles still have a lot to play for and will hope to defeat some top teams this weekend. The following games have a different schedule to the games. Following next weekend, the Golden Eagles have a four game stretch where they play Minot State on a Wednesday at home, go on the road at UMary on a Saturday, back on the road at Bemidji State on the following Tuesday and are back home against Northern State that Thursday. It's a weird stretch of games for the Golden Eagles, but they could prove to be ultra-important, as well.

Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Bryan Beamish
Record at UMC: 11-61 Season at UMC: 11th Season (Third as Head Coach)

Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears
Head Coach: Matt Fletcher
Record at CSP: 34-80  Season at CSP: 5th Season 

Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs
Head Coach: Justin Wieck
Record at UMD: 132-54  Season at UMD: 7th Season

Minnesota Crookston @ Concordia-St. Paul
Date: Friday, Jan. 17
Time: 5:30 P.M.
Place: St. Paul, Minn. / Gangelhoff Center
Watch: https://nsicnetwork.com/cspbears/
Stats:https://cspbears.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Series Record: CSP leads all-time series 25-10
Last Meeting: 84-82 win for the Golden Eagles in St. Paul last season

Minnesota Crookston @ Minnesota Duluth
Date: Saturday, Jan. 18
Time: 3:30 P.M.
Place: Duluth, Minn. / Romano Gymnasium
Watch: https://nsicnetwork.com/umdbulldogs/
Stats: https://umdbulldogs.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Series Record: UMD leads 40-3
Last Meeting: 72-62 win for the Bulldogs last season


Weekly Snapshot

Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles (3-13)
Projected Starters
Sr. G 3 Reid Grant (6-3, Johnston, Iowa) 14.5 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 5.1 APG
Fr. G 12 Landon Dimler (6-5, Mankato, Minn.) 4.8 PPG, 3.5 RPG
Jr. F 25 Andrew Stokes (6-5, Westchester, Ill.) 9.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG
Jr. G 13 Micah Garrett (6-3, Portland, Ore.) 9.9 PPG, 3.3 RPG
R-Jr. F 10 Jordan Mitchell (6-8, Columbus, Ohio) 8.3 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.6 BPG
Top Bench Players
Sr. F 33 Ben Hoverson (6-6, Grand Forks, N.D.) 2.5 PPG, .9 RPG
Jr. G 1 Christian Bowen-Webb (6-2, Atchison, Kan.) 6.4 PPG
Fr. F 23 Brayden Carlson (6-9, Woodbury, Minn.) 1.9 PPG, 1.2 RPG
Fr. G 11 Caiden Swenby (6-3, Fertile, Minn.) .7 PPG
Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears (12-4)
Projected Starters
Sr. G 0 Antwan Kimmons (6-0, St. Paul, Minn.) 25.8 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 6.1 APG
Sr. G 3 Ian Sluice (6-3, Tulsa, Okla.) 6.2 PPG, 1.4 RPG
So. G 5 Ben Kopetzki (6-0, Andover, Minn.) 14.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG
Sr. F 11 Cade Meyer (6-9, Monroe, Wis.) 14/4 PPG, 6.4 RPG
Jr. G 14 Reid Patterson (6-2, Lakeville, Minn.) 5.6 PPG, 3.1 RPG
Top Bench Players
Sr. F 4 Japannah Kellogg (6-8, Ames, Iowa) 3.2 PPG, 2.2 RPG
So. G 2 Will Boser (6-6, Eau Claire, Wis.) 2.1 PPG, 1.1 RPG
So. F 24 Chet Kloss (6-6, Apple Valley, Minn.) 1.7 PPG, 3.1 RPG
Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (10-5)
Projected Starters
Gr. G 1 Joshua Brown (6-4, Minneapolis, Minn.) 11.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG
R-So. G 4 Caleb Siwek (6-2, Rosemount, Minn.) 12.7 PPG, 3.9 RPG
R-Jr. F 12 Mattie Thompson (6-8, Duluth, Minn.) 8.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG
Gr. F 24 Charlie Katona (6-7, Shakopee, Minn.) 16.3 PPG, 6.9 RPG
Gr. F 32 Austin Andrews (6-6, Eden Prairie, Minn.) 9.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG
Top Bench Players
R-So. G 13 Nick Katona (6-6, Shakopee, Minn.) 5.7 PPG, 3.9 RPG
Gr. G 11 Jayden Johnson (6-6, Batavia, Ill.) 6.1 PPG, 1.7 RPG
Fr. G 3 Kole Hanson (6-2, Prior Lake, Minn.) 3.1 PPG
R-Jr. F 34 Noah Paulson (6-9, Duluth, Minn.) 2.6 PPG, 2.7 RPG

KNOW THE OPPONENTS

Concordia-St.Paul. The Golden Eagles face yet another challenge this weekend as they hit the road to take on Concordia-St. Paul, the top offensive team in the NSIC. The Golden Bears currently have a 12-4 overall record, including 7-3 in the highly competitive conference. Historically, CSP has had the upper hand against the Eagles, with a 27-10 record. However, the Golden Eagles aim to build on their thrilling 84-82 win over Concordia nearly a year ago.

OFFENSIVE POWERHOUSE. Much like the Golden Eagles, the Warriors have a balanced offensive attack, with five players averaging double figures. Winona State averages 78.1 points per game, placing them third in the NSIC rankings. Last week, WSU had an offensive showcase in a thrilling triple-overtime game against Minot State, they ultimately fell 113-104.

ONE OF THE NATION'S BEST. The senior guard, Antwan Kimmons, guides Concordia's scoring efforts. He's putting up 25.8 points per game, leading the NSIC in scoring while ranking third nationally in total field goals made. Kimmons has been unstoppable this season, leading all Division II men's basketball with 413 points. On top of that, he's a force at the free-throw line, topping the nation in both free throws made (116) and attempts (152). Kimmons is putting up Anthony Edwards like numbers, as the Northern Iowa transfer has six games over 30 points and three games scoring more than 40, including a two game stretch where he scored 40 against Minnesota Duluth and 43 against MSU Moorhead.

WELL-ROUNDED. The Bears aren't just strong on offense, they bring just as much energy and effort on defense. CSP is currently leading the conference in rebounds, pulling down an impressive 39.6 per game. That kind of performance doesn't just help them control the boards; it also puts them at #5 in the nation. Their ability to dominate this critical aspect of the game plays a big role in their overall success and scoring efforts.

Minnesota Duluth. The Golden Eagles close out their weekend on the road against the Bulldogs in Duluth. UMD enters the game with a 10-5 record and is currently riding a three-game win streak. Historically, the Bulldogs have had the Golden Eagles' number, winning the last 10 matchups and maintaining an undefeated record at home in this series.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME.  Romano Gymnasium has been a home-court advantage for the Bulldogs. This season, UMD holds an impressive 8-1 record at home, and dating back to 2020, they've only lost 10 games in their gymnasium. They'll be looking to extend that dominance in this matchup.

FIFTH-YEAR DUO LEADS THE CHARGE.  The Bulldogs are led by their veteran duo of Charlie Katona and Joshua Brown. Katona, who averages 16.3 points per game, is the team's top scorer. Brown follows closely with 11.8 points per game. This pair has been consistent for UMD, with Katona averaging 12.8 points per game over his career and having a standout season this year. Brown has been consistent as well, averaging double-digit points every season. They played key roles in UMD's win over St. Cloud State and have been integral to their success this season.

TOUGH TO GUARD.  The Bulldogs boast a well-rounded game, ranking 4th in the NSIC for field goal percentage and 2nd in scoring margin, outscoring their opponents by an average of 9.3 points per game. However, while UMD excels in shooting, their three-point game could use some improvement, as they sit 10th in the conference for three-pointers made, just behind the Eagles. Where the Bulldogs truly stand out is on the defensive end, averaging 3.73 blocks per game (2nd in the NSIC) and 7.07 steals per game (5th in the conference), yet again, making them another tough opponent.