Women's Basketball | 1/23/2025 10:08:00 AM
• THE MINNESOTA CROOKSTON women's basketball team returns home after a four-game road stint as they take on Wayne State and Augustana at Lysaker Gymnasium Friday, January 24 and Saturday, January 25. The Golden Eagles come into the weekend with a 6-12 (4-8 NSIC) record. Minnesota Crookston hasn't had great luck at home yet this season, as they enter the games this weekend with a 1-4 mark on Gary Senske Court. The Golden Eagles come in averaging 67.6 points per game, while
allowing 75.4 to their foes. Minnesota Crookston comes in shooting 39.9 percent from the field, 30.9 percent from beyond the arc, and 76.8 percent from the foul line. The Golden Eagles are being outrebounded 40.3-35.4 this season. The Golden Eagles are averaging 11.0 assists per game, and 14.8 turnovers per tilt.
• SERIES HISTORY. The Golden Eagles are 3-1 in their last four games against Wayne State. Minnesota Crookston lost their last game at home against the Wildcats 67-52 in Crookston. Minnesota Crookston won the last tilt in Wayne, Neb., 63-57 January 5, 2024. The Golden Eagles have lost their last seven games against Augustana. Minnesota Crookston's last win in the series came December 12, 2015 with a 76-57 win in Crookston. The Golden Eagles last victory in Sioux Falls came December 17, 2011.
• BLOCK PARTY.
Nicole Hernandez (R-Sr., F/C, Oak Creek, Wis.) comes into the weekend with four blocks. She has a total of 52 blocks, and is also fourth with 2.89 blocks per game. Hernandez comes into this week's games with 137 blocked shots. She needs 21 blocked shots to set the school record, currently held by Isieoma Odor with 158 blocked shots. Hernandez is currently fourth all-time with 52 blocked shots in a season. The school record is 64 blocked shots set by Jessica Forsline.
Hernandez is also just 30 rebounds from breaking into the Top 10 all-time in boards. She currently has 457 career rebounds. Hernandez had a season-high eight blocks December 21 versus MSU Moorhead. She had seven blocks versus Black Hills State November 21.
• HALLE FROM CROOKSTON. Minnesota Crookston guard
Halle Winjum has made seven starts this season. Winjum comes in averaging 2.4 points, and 1.5 rebounds per game. Winjum comes in shooting 40.0 percent from the field, and is hitting at a 38.9 percent clip from beyond the arc. Her best game came with 10 points versus Northern State. She had six points, and eight boards January 11 versus Minnesota State.
• A LITTLE HOPE. Redshirt sophomore guard
Hope Dudycha, a native of Austin, Minn., had a good first year on the court for the Golden Eagles. Dudycha comes in averaging 8.3 points per game. She is shooting 40.9 percent from the field, and 33.8 percent from beyond the arc. Dudycha had nine points versus Minnesota Duluth. Dudycha had a great three-game stretch January 3-10, averaging 17.0 points per game, and shooting 47.6 percent from beyond the arc during the stretch.
• ROUND BALL RILEY.
Riley Jenkins (R-So., G/F, Galesburg, Ill.) has been coming into her own on the court for the Golden Eagles. Jenkins first arrived in 2023-24, recovering from an injury and has continued to improve and become a bigger piece for the Golden Eagles. Jenkins comes into the weekend averaging 11.1 points, and 5.9 boards per tilt. Jenkins is shooting 42.4 percent from the field, and 31.0 percent from distance. She had 16 points, and seven rebounds last Friday against
Concordia-St. Paul. Jenkins notched eight points, and eight boards versus Minnesota Duluth. Jenkins has 12 double-digit scoring efforts this season. She also has two double-digit rebounding efforts during the 2024-25 season.
• LOCAL FLAVOR. The Golden Eagles have strong connections to the local area in their incoming class. Minnesota Crookston has Crookston-native
Halle Winjum (Fr., G) on the roster. In addition,
Brynlea Mahlen (Fr., G, Fosston, Minn.), comes down the road from 45 minutes away in Fosston. She has deep connections to the program as her father Nate Mahlen was a long-time women's basketball assistant coach and is currently an Assistant Athletic Director for the Golden Eagles.
Willow Thiel (Fr., F, Perham, Minn.) is from the region in Perham, but her mother Lacey Thiel is originally from Crookston.
• MILLER TIME. Minnesota Crookston junior guard
Emma Miller had a strong first two seasons for Minnesota
Crookston. Miller is a two-time All-NSIC selection, earning All-NSIC First Team as a freshman, and All-NSIC Second Team as a sophomore. She is the first player since Katrina Nordick and Alexa Thielman in 2014-15 and 2015-16 to earn back-to-back All-NSIC accolades. She became the 13th player to score 1,000 points in Minnesota Crookston history. Miller is in the Top 10 all-time for scoring for the Golden Eagles. She comes into the weekend with 1,391 career points. Miller ranks fifth all-time in scoring for
Minnesota Crookston. She needs 69 points to move past Alexa Thielman for fifth all-time in scoring. Miller is 333 points away from Jamie Zelinsky's school record. With her current pace, depending on the length of the postseason, she would be on pace to set the record early in the 2025-26 season, her senior campaign.
• "THIEL"ING IT.
Willow Thiel (Fr., F, Perham, Minn.) has made six starts, and played in 18 games during the 2024-25 season. Thiel is notching 7.1 points, and 4.2 boards per game. Thiel is shooting 42.4 percent from the field. She is coming off 11 points on 4-of-7 from the field against Minnesota Duluth. Thiel's best game came with 21 points November 16 versus Michigan Tech.
WAYNE STATE. Wayne State comes into the weekend with a 9-7 (6-6 NSIC) mark. They are coming off a 63-45 win at home against Minot State. They are 3-2 in the new year. Wayne State is averaging 68.6 points per game, while allowing 66.6 points to their foes. The Wildcats are shooting 40.3 percent from the field, 34.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 72.5 percent from the foul line. Wayne State is being outrebounded 38.1-37.9 this season. The Wildcats are averaging 15.1 assists per game, while notching 15.4 turnovers per tilt.
SHE IS VANDONKERSGOED. Kylah vanDonkersgoed leads the way in the post for Wayne State. The 6-1 junior from Sioux Falls, S.D., is averaging 13.3 points, and 5.7 boards per game. VanDonkersgoed is shooting 44.7 percent from the field, and 39.7 percent from beyond the arc. She has three-straight double-digit scoring games. VanDonkersgoed
averaged 14.5 points, and 8.5 rebounds per game. VanDonkersgoed had 22 points January 10 versus Northern State. She has 12 double-digit scoring games this season.
FITZ. Maya Fitzpatrick is a key player for the Wildcats. She is averaging 12.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. She is shooting 35.0 percent from the field this season. Fitzpatrick has three games with 20-or more points,
including 28 against Northern State January 10. She had 10 points versus UMary January 11, and seven last weekend against Minot State. Fitzpatrick has eight games with double-digit scoring this season.
GET IT TO TATE. Tate Norblade enters the weekend averaging 11.8 points, and 5.0 boards per game. Norblade is
shooting 46.6 percent from the field, and 47.1 percent from beyond the arc on just 17 attempts this season. Norblade has four-straight games with double-digit scoring. She has tallied 14.0 points per game in her last two efforts.
AUGUSTANA. Augustana has a new look in 2024-25 with a lot of new players under first-year Head Coach Nate Vogel. The Vikings are 3-15 (1-11 NSIC) entering the weekend. Augustana is averaging 60.6 points per game, while allowing 74.7 points per tilt. The Vikings are shooting 37.5 percent from the field, 27.7 percent from distance, and 67.3 percent from the stripe. They are being outrebounded 43.8-33.5. They are notching 12.0 assists per game, while turning the ball over 16.9 times per tilt. Their lone conference win came January 10 at home against UMary. They are coming off a 69-55 loss vs. Minot State January 18.
LOOK FOR THE PASS FROM BURG. Hannah Burg has had an instant impact on Augustana. The 5-6 senior guard from Colorado Springs, Colo., has 67 assists in 2024-25 for an average of 3.7 helpers per tilt. Burg is also averaging 11.1 points, and 3.9 boards per game. Burg was held to just 3.5 points per game in the last two tilts. She did have six rebounds, and six assists versus Minot State. Burg notched 20 points January 10 versus UMary on 7-of-11 from the field, and 6-of-9 from beyond the arc.
ALL ABOUT OLIVIA. Olivia Hayenga, a 5-10 junior from Worthington, Minn., leads the way for the Vikings with 11.6 points per game. She is also notching 5.3 boards per tilt. Hayenga is shooting 40.2 percent from the field, and 32.8 percent from beyond the arc. Hayenga had 11 points January 18 versus Minot State. She has tallied nine double-digit scoring games, including a season-high 25 points versus Mount Marty December 31.
BRINLEE FROM THREE. Brinlee McRae leads Augustana with 71 three-point attempts during the season. She is shooting 33.8 percent from distance in 2024-25, notching 8.7 points per game. McRae has seven double-digit scoring games in 2024-25. She averaged 9.0 points per game in their last two games, but was held to 2-of-8 from beyond the arc.
KEYS TO THE WEEKEND
Will
Emma Miller have a major impact for the Golden Eagles?
Can the Golden Eagles get strong
production off the bench?
Will
Nicole Hernandez continue to be a force defensively?
Can the Golden Eagles get key wins at home?
What impact can
Riley Jenkins have for Minnesota Crookston this week?
Who will step up in big moments for the Golden Eagles?
GAMEDAY
WAYNE STATE AT MINNESOTA CROOKSTON
DATE: Friday, January 24
TIME: 7:30 p.m. C.T.
SITE: Crookston, Minn.
ARENA: Gary Senske Court at Lysaker Gymnasium
LIVE STATS:
https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
LIVE VIDEO:
https://nsicnetwork.com/goldeneaglesports/
X: @UMNCrookstonATH/@
UMNCrookstonWBB
AUGUSTANA AT MINNESOTA CROOKSTON
DATE: Saturday, January 25
TIME: 5:30 p.m. C.T.
SITE: Crookston, Minn.
ARENA: Gary Senske Court at Lysaker Gymnasium
LIVE STATS: https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
LIVE VIDEO: https://nsicnetwork.com/goldeneaglesports/
X: @UMNCrookstonATH/@UMNCrookstonWBB
WEEKLY SNAPSHOT
MINNESOTA CROOKSTON
Projected Starters
Jr. PG 1 Emma Miller (5-1, Albertville, Minn.) 21.4 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.8 APG
R-So. SG 2 Hope Dudycha (5-5, Austin, Minn.) 8.3 PPG, 2.1 RPG
Fr. 3G 10 Halle Winjum (5-6, Crookston, Minn.) 2.4 PPG, 1.5 RPG
R-So. SF 30 Riley Jenkins (5-10, Galesburg, Ill.) 11.1 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.6 APG
R-Sr. PF 4 Nicole Hernandez (6-2, Oak Creek, Wis.) 6.6 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 2.9 BPG
Bench
Fr. F 21 Willow Thiel (5-11, Perham, Minn.) 7.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG
So. F 14 Rayna Klejeski (6-0, Barnum, Minn.) 3.8 PPG, 1.7 RPG
WAYNE STATE
Projected Starters
Sr. PG 4 Tate Norblade (5-9, Papillion, Neb.) 11.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.3 APG
Sr. SG 12 Carsyn Boswell (5-8, Carlsbad, N.M.) 7.3 PPG, 2.9 RPG
Jr. 3G 33 Meg Rietz (6-0, Huxley, Iowa) 4.1 PPG, 4.4 RPG
Sr. SF 5 Maya Fitzpatrick (5-10, Brooklyn Park, Minn.) 12.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 3.0 APG
Jr. PF 25 Kylah vanDonkersgoed (6-1, Sioux Falls, S.D.) 13.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG
Bench
Sr. G/F 23 Delaney Clark (5-11, Appleton, Wis.) 8.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG
So. F/C 30 Brooklyn Kruse (6-3, Wayne, Neb.) 6.3 PPG, 2.4 RPG
Sr. G 3 Abby Kopecky (5-10, Aberdeen, S.D.) 2.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG
AUGUSTANA
Projected Starters
Sr. PG 3 Hannah Burg (5-6, Colorado Springs, Colo.) 11.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.7 APG
Jr. SG 22 Brinlee McRae (5-8, Sandy, Utah) 8.7 PPG, 2.8 RPG
Jr. 3G 24 C.J. Adamson (5-9, Rochester, Minn.) 3.1 PPG, 1.7 RPG
Jr. SF 23 Olivia Hayenga (5-10, Worthington, Minn.) 11.6 PPG, 5.3 RPG
So. PF 12 Payton Hardy (6-0, Sergeant Bluff, Iowa) 7.8 PPG, 6.2 RPG
Bench
Fr. F 50 Isabella Sanneh (6-0, Woodbury, Minn.) 5.3 PPG, 1.7 RPG
Jr. F/C 33 Paige Grant (6-1, Las Vegas, Nev.) 5.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG
Jr. G 14 Kaz Parks (5-8, Vancouver, Wash.) 2.6 PPG, 0.8 RPG
R-Jr. G 5 Kelsey Willems (5-8, Chaska, Minn.) 2.1 PPG, 1.3 RPG
So. G 20 Jordan Munson (5-8, Tracy, Minn.) 1.3 PPG, 1.1 RPG
