Men's Basketball | 1/8/2025 11:06:00 AM

#TIDBITS

Golden Eagle men's basketball heads back on the road this weekend for another set of challenging games. The Golden Eagles will head to Winona State on Friday and then a date with the defending National Champions, Minnesota State, awaits the Golden Eagles on Saturday. Minnesota Crookston will look to halt a brief three-game skid.

·   RINSE AND REPEAT. Whatever the Golden Eagles did last season against the Warriors, I think they would take a carbon copy of that game. The Warriors and Golden Eagles split the season series a year ago, with both teams winning on their home floors. The game was fairly even from a statistical standpoint, but Minnesota Crookston made one more play than the Warriors did in Crookston. Head Coach Bryan Beamish will look for the same this Friday night.

• FINISHED THE FIGHT. That one play, or in this case, sequence in that game to close it out came from Jordan Mitchell. Mitchell, now a redshirt senior, was the catalyst in that win over the Warriors, as he blocked a three-point shot, retrieved the ball and then finished through contact for the old-fashioned three points. Mitchell helped pull off the win over Winona State and he will look to do more of the same this weekend, this time on the road.

·  FIRST OF TWO WEEKENDS ON THE ROAD. This weekend will open the book on a four-game road trip away from Crookston. Following this weekend's trip, the Golden Eagles will head back on the road and stay in the land of 10,000 lakes, as they head to Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota Duluth. This is the Golden Eagles first road trip of four conference games since 2021, where the maroon and gold won two games on the road in that stretch.

·   LET IT FLY LANDON.  That's exactly what Landon Dimler has done this season and he has shown how much of a bright future he has as a Golden Eagle. Dimler has played more than 10 minutes and in all but one of those games has he not made a three-point shot. In fact, in five of those eight games, he has drilled two or more shots from deep, including a career-high three on two different occasions against MSU Moorhead and UTampa. The freshman from Mankato has to continue to let it fly from deep.

·    EVERY GAME WITH A MAKE. Andrew Stokes has made a massive impact and then some for the Golden Eagles. The junior from Illinois is third on the Golden Eagles in scoring and has at least one field goal made in every game this season, including a career-high eight earlier this year against Tampa. Stokes has started the last eight games for the Golden Eagles and leads the Golden Eagles in points per game, rebounds and field goal makes per 40 minutes, which pro rates the stats per a full game played.

·   DEFEND THE THREE. Minnesota Crookston will look to defend the long ball better this weekend. Minnesota Crookston has allowed opponents to shoot better than 35 percent from long range in six straight games and MSU Moorhead, Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls have shot better than 50 percent in three straight games. The Golden Eagles will look to guard the three-point line this weekend.

• HANDLE IS THE MIDDLE PART OF MY FIRST NAME. Despite the loss to Sioux Falls, Minnesota Crookston had to be pleased with what they saw from redshirt sophomore Chandler Meeks. Meeks finished the game with 16 points on 6-10 shooting from the field and a perfect 4-4 from the charity stripe. It was Meeks' highest scoring output since he scored a season-high 20 in the home opener against Parkside. Meeks has been scoring from inside the three-point line, as his last make from long range came at home in a loss to Upper Iowa on Nov. 17. The Golden Eagles will continue to look to #5 for scoring.

Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Bryan Beamish
Record at UMC: 11-59 Season at UMC: 11th Season (Third as Head Coach)

Winona State Warriors
Head Coach: Todd Eisner
Record at WSU: 147-111  Season at WSU: 9th Season 


Minnesota State Mavericks
Head Coach: Matt Margenthaler
Record at MSU: 708-495  Season at MSU: 22nd Season

Minnesota Crookston @ Winona State
Date: Friday, Jan. 10
Time: 7:30 P.M.
Place: Winona, Minn. / McCown Gymnasium
Watch: https://nsicnetwork.com/winonastatewarriors/
Stats: https://winonastatewarriors.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Series Record: Winona State leads 34-5
Last Meeting: 63-40 win for the Warriors in Winona last season


Minnesota Crookston @ Minnesota State
Date: Saturday, Jan. 11
Time: 5:30 P.M.
Place: Mankato, Minn. / Taylor Center
Watch: https://nsicnetwork.com/msumavericks/
Stats: https://msumavericks.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Series Record: MSU leads all-time series 21-1
Last Meeting: 82-62 win for the Mavericks in Mankato last season

Weekly Snapshot

Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles (3-11)
Projected Starters
Sr. G 3 Reid Grant (6-3, Johnston, Iowa) 14.9 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 5.1 APG
R-So. G 5 Chandler Meeks (6-1, Omaha, Neb.) 10.2 PPG, 1.9 RPG
Jr. F 25 Andrew Stokes (6-5, Westchester, Ill.) 9.9 PPG, 3.8 RPG
Jr. G 13 Micah Garrett (6-3, Portland, Ore.) 9.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG
R-Jr. F 10 Jordan Mitchell (6-8, Columbus, Ohio) 8.1 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.6 BPG
Top Bench Players
Sr. F 33 Ben Hoverson (6-6, Grand Forks, N.D.) 2.6 PPG, 1.1 RPG
Jr. G 1 Christian Bowen-Webb (6-2, Atchison, Kan.) 5.6 PPG
Fr. F 23 Brayden Carlson (6-9, Woodbury, Minn.) 1.7 PPG, 1.3 RPG
Fr. G 12 Landon Dimler (6-5, Mankato, Minn.) 5.0 PPG, 2.9 RPG
Fr. G 11 Caiden Swenby (6-3, Fertile, Minn.) .8 PPG
Winona State Warriors (11-4)
Projected Starters
Sr. G 3 Jhei-r Jones (6-0, Sauk Village, Ill.) 13.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG
So. G 7 Luke Haertle (6-3, Hartland, Wis.) 18.5 PPG, 5.4 RPG
Sr. F 15 Isaiah Thompson (6-6. Lansing, Mich.) 13.8 PPG, 9.6 RPG
Fr. G 22 Tyler Mason (6-2, Metamora, Ill.) 9.9 PPG, 3.1 RPG
Sr. F 30 Connor Drew (6-7, Huxley, Iowa) 12.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG
Top Bench Players
Fr. F 4 Nick Taylor (6-6, Glenview, Ill.) 4.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG
So. G 10 Arius Alijosius (6-4, Riverside, Ill.) 3.2 PPG
Minnesota State Mavericks (9-7)
Projected Starters
Sr. G 1 Kyrese Willingham (6-5, Waseca, Minn.) 16.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG
Sr. G 5 Harrison Braudis (6-2, Overland Park, Kan.) 11.6 PPG, 4.0 RPG
So. F 11 Caden Kirkman (6-8, Wilton, Iowa) 10.5 PPG, 6.1 RPG
Sr. G 23 Justin Eagins (6-3, Downers Grove, Ill.) 14.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG
R-Fr. G 10 Will Opsahl (6-7, Goodhue, Minn.) 8.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG
Top Bench Players
Fr. F 0 Carson Schweim (6-7, Mankato, Minn.) 3.3 PPG, 1.7 RPG
Gr. F 3 Drew Daniel (6-7, Des Moines, Iowa) 3.4 PPG, 2.8 RPG
Jr. G 13 David Harmon (6-3, Omaha, Neb.) 6.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG
Jr. F 14 Malcolm Jones (6-8, Prior Lake, Minn.) 5.4 PPG, 4.9 RPG

KNOW THE OPPONENTS

Winona State. The Golden Eagles head to Winona this weekend to take on the Warriors. The Eagles hold a 4-14 record against Winona State, with their last victory coming exactly one year ago. This season, the Warriors boast an 11-4 overall record and a 6-3 mark in the NSIC.

POLISHED ON OFFENSE. 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.

TRIPLE THREAT. Sophomore Luke Haertle leads the charge for the Warriors, averaging 18.5 points per game, placing him third in the NSIC in scoring. Haertle is a key component of Winona State's offense, also averaging 3.3 assists per game. Alongside Haertle is the senior duo of Jhei-R Jones and Isaiah Thompson, who are also putting together impressive seasons. Jones and Thompson rank second and third on the team in scoring, averaging 13.8 points per game apiece. Thompson is coming off a career weekend, with standout performances of 25 points against Minnesota State and 30 points against Minot State.

DEFENSIVE IMPACT. In a competitive conference, it's rare to excel offensively without dominating in field goals or three-pointers. However, the Warriors are an exception. Despite ranking third in the NSIC for scoring offense, they sit in the middle of the pack in both field goals and three-pointers made. What sets Winona State apart is its strong defensive presence. The Warriors rank third in the conference in opponent field goal percentage and lead the NSIC in opponent three-point percentage, keeping them competitive in close games.

Minnesota State. On Saturday, the Golden Eagles will take on the defending National Champions, the Minnesota State Mavericks. However, the Mavericks are off to a slower start in their 2025 campaign than anticipated. After losing only twice last season, Minnesota State currently holds a 9-7 record. Historically, the Mavericks have dominated the matchup, with the Golden Eagles sitting at 1-21 in the all-time series. This weekend, the Golden Eagles will look to secure their second win against the reigning champions.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE. Historically, playing at home has been a strength for the Mavericks, where they hold a 3-1 home record. The Taylor Center often gives them an edge, and they'll look to use that momentum to rebound from recent losses against Minot State.

SENIOR STAR.  Senior Kyreese Willingham continues to lead for the Mavericks. Last season, he earned numerous accolades, including NSIC First Team honors, NSIC All-Tournament Team, NCAA Central Region Tournament MVP, and NCAA Elite Eight All-Tournament Team recognition. This season, the Minnesota native continues to excel, leading his team with 16.9 points per game while also contributing defensively with 1.4 steals per game.

DIFFERENT TEAM.  One noticeable change for the Mavericks this season is their offensive output compared to last year. During their championship run, Minnesota State averaged 84.9 points per game, leading the NSIC while also topping the conference in both field goals and three-pointers. This season, however, the Mavericks have faced more challenges offensively, ranking fourth in the conference with 77.4 points per game, nearly a 10-point drop. Their efficiency from beyond the arc has also declined, shooting 34.7% from three-point range this year compared to 38.2% last season.