Men's Basketball | 12/16/2025 10:13:00 AM

#TIDBITS

Golden Eagle men's basketball will hope for some special gifts to unwrap this Wednesday and Saturday, as they welcome Jamestown and Northern State. The Golden Eagles will hope that their defensive performance on Saturday against Minot State will carry over to this week, especially against the high-potent offense in Jamestown.

·   GOT STOPS. It was a loss, but the Golden Eagles have to feel good about what they showed on the defensive side of the ball on Saturday in the Minot State Dome. The Golden Eagles did struggle to score the ball this past weekend, but they held a good offense to just 69 points and without Deuce Benjamin and his 27 points, it would've been a different game. The Golden Eagles showed some things on that end that will hopefully carry over to two important games this weekend at home.

• GIVE ME A SECOND CHANCE. The Golden Eagles have done a really good job of rebounding their misses this season, especially the last four games. The Golden Eagles are averaging 13.5 offensive rebounds per game in that stretch and have double-digit offensive rebounds in all but one game this season, which is the first time in program history that the Golden Eagles have finished with 10 or more offensive rebounds in nine of their first ten games. Second chance points go a long way and the Golden Eagles will look to make it five and six straight double-digit offensive rebound games this season.

·  LID ON THE RIM. It wasn't an easy shooting weekend for the Golden Eagles, especially from long range. Minnesota Crookston was just 10/51 from the three-point line, which is eerily similar to their 9/51 shooting performance in their first two games to open this season. However, they held their opponents to make just 11 threes through the two games this past weekend. Through 10 games, Minnesota Crookston has made 88 shots from long range this season and will hope that being at home will help lift the lid on an important aspect of the game.

·   THIEVERY.  One thing that has really helped the Golden Eagles this season has been their ability to force turnovers and collect steals this season. The Golden Eagles have forced over 13 turnovers by their opponents this season and have collected over seven steals per game. In their loss to UMary, not a ton went well for the Golden Eagles, except the fact that they finished the game with 12 steals, which was their most in two seasons.

·    ALL AROUND PERFORMANCE. Young freshman Quincy Everson might've had his best all-around game as a Golden Eagle against the Beavers. The native of Arizona finished with eight points on 3-7 shooting from the field, while also finishing with three rebounds, one steal, one block and one assist. Everson also played 22 minutes in each of the two games last weekend, which are two minutes shy of his career high. If Everson continues to play like he did on Saturday, he will undoubtedly get some more minutes off the bench.

·   A-DUB. Alijah Washington almost propelled the Golden Eagles to their first win in conference play on Saturday. The Cal State-San Bernardino transfer finished 17 points on 3-6 from long range, while also pulling down five rebounds. Washington has scored more than 10 points in six games this season and is averaging more than five rebounds per game in his last four games.

• WARM WELCOME. It's no secret that the NSIC is a fight every time the student-athletes lace up the shoes. So far, it's been a warm welcome for the newest member of the league, the University of Jamestown. The Jimmies will make their fifth ever trip to Crookston on Wednesday, marking the first time these two programs are meeting in conference play. The Jimmies are in the midst of a two game winning streak, but the Golden Eagles will hope to give the Jimmies a not-so-warm welcome this Wednesday in a very important game.

• HAPPY ANNIVERSARY. It's kind of a coincidence that the Wolves and Golden Eagles will meet exactly a year apart from their classic game in Wachs Arena last season. On December 20, 2024, the Golden Eagles stunned the Wolves on a last-second shot from Chandler Meeks, giving the Golden Eagles a 73-71 win over the Wolves, after trailing by as many as 13 in the first half. The Golden Eagles will hope to give the Wolves a similar outcome exactly one year to the date of that thrilling win.

Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Bryan Beamish
Record at UMC: 15-75 Season at UMC: 12th Season (Fourth as Head Coach)

University of Jamestown Jimmies
Head Coach: Casey Bruggeman
Record at UJ: 22-17  Season at UJ: 2nd Season 

Northern State University Wolves
Head Coach: Matt Wilber
Record at NSU: 2-8  Season at NSU: 1st Season

University of Jamestown @ Minnesota Crookston
Date: Thursday, Dec. 15
Time: 5:30 P.M.
Place: Crookston, Minn. / Lysaker Gymnasium
Watch: https://nsicnetwork.com/goldeneaglesports/
Stats: https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Series Record: Minnesota Crookston leads the all-time series, 4-1
Last Meeting: 79-63 win for the Jimmies back in 2019


Northern State @ Minnesota Crookston
Date: Saturday, Dec. 17
Time: 1:30 P.M.
Place: Crookston, Minn. / Lysaker Gymnasium
Watch: https://nsicnetwork.com/goldeneaglesports/
Stats: https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
Series Record: NSU leads all-time series 46-4
Last Meeting: A 62-59 win for the Wolves in Crookston last season


#HEADLINES
1. Two final ones at home to close out calendar year

2. Find groove offensively again

3. Defense was good against Minot State

4. FIND A WAY

5. First ever conference meeting with UJ

Weekly Snapshot

Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Projected Starters
Fr. F 1 Spencer Swenson (6-8, Sauk Rapids, Minn.) 8.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG
Jr. F 10 Kazadi Mukoma, Jr. (6-8, Grand Island, Neb.) 11.9 PPG, 4.0 RPG
Fr. G 2 Donez Lindsey (6-0, Stockton, Calif.) 14.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG
R-Jr. G 15 Alijah Washington (6-4, San Bernardino, Calif.) 12.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG
So. G 20 Hunter Lorenson (5-11, Lake City, Minn.) 6.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG
Top Bench Players
Sr. G 3 GD Deng (6-4, Des Moines, Iowa) .4 PPG, 1.4 RPG
Fr. G 11 Caiden Swenby (6-3, Fertile, Minn.) 2.4 PPG, 1.3 RPG
Jr. G/F 21 J.D. Roberts (6-6, Parkville, Mo.) 5.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG
Fr. F 23 Brayden Carlson (6-9, Woodbury, Minn.) 3.2 PPG, 2.1 RPG
Fr. G 13 Quincy Everson (6-2, Goodyear, Minn.) 4.4 PPG, 1.8 RPG
Fr. G 12 Landon Dimler (6-5, Mankato, Minn.) 4.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG
 
Jamestown Jimmies
Projected Starters
Gr. G 3 Davis Walker (6-2, Naperville, Ill.) 7.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG
R-Jr. G 13 Cole Glasgow (6-3, Grimes, Iowa) 5.0 PPG, 4.6 RPG
Sr. F 22 Owen Hektner (6-8, Fargo, N.D.) 12.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG
Sr. G 24 Anthony Walters (6-3, Rosedale, New York) 18.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG
Sr. F 15 Carson Woodford (6-8, Redwood Falls, Minn.) 4.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG
Top Bench Players
Fr. G 5 Ford Okehi (6-2, Brooklyn, New York) 11.9 PPG, 3.5 RPG
Jr. F 11 Thomas Diew (6-8, St. Cloud, Minn.) 6.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG
So. G 55 Henry Meyer (6-3, La Crosse, Wis.) 4.8 PPG, 3.1 RPG
Fr. G 0 Zeke Austin (6-2, Albany, Minn.) 3.1 PPG, 2.3 RPG
R-Fr. F 4 Aiden Johnson (6-7, Cannon Falls, Wis.) 2.3 PPG, 1.3 RPG
Northern State Wolves
Projected Starters
R-Sr. G 0 Benjamin Bowen (6-5, Highlands Ranch, Colo.) 8.9 PPG, 4.7 RPG
Jr. G 8 Joshua Book (6-4, Christchurch, New Zealand) 11.8 PPG, 5.7 RPG
Sr. G 4 James Glenn (6-3, Altoona, Iowa) 14.0 PPG, 4.2 RPG
Sr. G 10 Simon Akena (6-6, Stockholm, Sweden) 10.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG
Sr. F 14 Ty Rogers (6-7, Aurora, Ill.) 10.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG
Top Bench Players
Jr. F 55 Tobi Obiora (6-9, Bilthoven, Netherlands) 6.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG
Jr. G 2 Marshawn Smith (6-5, East Palo Alto, Calif.) 9.3 PPG, 5.1 RPG

KNOW THE OPPONENTS

Jamestown. The Jimmies are on a roll. UJ has won three in a row, with a really nice win at home against Minnesota Duluth last Saturday. In two of those wins, they have an eight point win in two overtimes over UMary and a three overtime win over Bemidji State. The Jimmies have yet to win on the road this season, but they will look for their first road win this weekend at Minnesota Crookston and MSU Moorhead.

LIFE WITH THE WALTERS BOY. Even before UJ entered the D-II family, Anthony Walters was Division II good. In his first season as a Jimmie last season, Walters came off the bench in all 28 games, but was second on the team in scoring at over 14 points per game. He is a former NJCAA All-American and this season, he's top-10 in the Northern Sun in scoring and has scored 23, 25, 22 and 27 in his last four games.

BUILT FORD TOUGH. Freshman guard Ford Okehi has had no learning curve this season. The freshman from basketball-rich Brooklyn, New York has yet to start a game this season, but is averaging over 11 points per game and had a stretch with seven straight games of 10 or more points, including a career-high 25 in the home win over UMary.

LET IT FLY. If you like the three-point shot, you should make your way to Lysaker Gymnasium on Wednesday night. Both the Jimmies and Golden Eagles love to let it fly from deep. UJ is averaging more than 29 attempts from long range this season, which ranks second in the NSIC, while the Golden Eagles rank fourth. Both teams also rank in the top-six in makes from deep per game, as well.

Northern State. NSU has two wins on the season, both of which have come in conference play. NSU has a new coach in Matt Wilber, who previously spent a season on the bench with the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA in 2024 and was the head coach at Dakota Wesleyan for the previous 11 years.

WORKED WITH A LEGEND. While in the desert with the Phoenix Mercury, Wilber was in the presence of greatness. Wilber was assigned as the personal player coach for Diana Taurasi, a future first ballot hall-of-famer. In Wilber's only season, Taurasi made her 11th All-Star game before hanging up her shoes this past February. Wilber played both baseball and basketball at Augustana.

STAGGERING DIFFERENCE.  Speaking of the three ball, there is a staggering difference for the Wolves and their opponents. Coming into this Saturday, NSU has made 97 threes on 306 attempts, while their opponents have made just 59 threes on 197 total attempts, which is a massive difference. In their two wins this season, they made 11 threes against UMary for a plus-five advantage in that game and 15 against UMary, good for a plus-eight advantage in that game. The difference on Saturday could be the trey ball.

OUTREBOUNDED.  At times, the Wolves can struggle to finish or gain an extra possession. On average, NSU gets outrebounded by six on a nightly basis and have won the rebounding battle just twice this season. NSU ranks in the bottom half of the NSIC in rebounds per game, offensive rebounds per game and defensive rebounds per game.