MINOT STATE WINS SHOOTOUT OVER GOLDEN EAGLES MEN’S BASKETBALL

The University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC) Golden Eagles Men’s Basketball team traveled to Minot, North Dakota to play conference foe the Minot State University Beavers. UMC took a lead into halftime scoring the most points in a single half since 2017, but it was Minot State that prevailed 88-83 in a shootout affair.

FIRST HALF –

Uzo Dibiamaka (So, Adelaide, South Australia.) came out and cashed in a three for UMC on the opening possession of the game, but a 6-0 run from the Beavers gave Minot State an early 8-3 lead. The teams would continue trading baskets the next several minutes with Minot State holding a slight lead. Back-to-back three-pointers from Ethan Channel (Jr. Beaverton, Ore.) would bring the Golden Eagles within two at 16-14, but a quick dunk from the Beavers made it 18-14. It then became the Marcus Thompson (Jr. Brooklyn, N.Y.) show. After the Beavers would extend the lead to 22-14, Thompson would score 10 straight points for UMC coming off the bench and providing the spark they needed. He would finish the first half with 12 points which was already a new career-high. Thompson would bring UMC all the way back to tie the game, and after a Leonard Dixon (Jr. Damascus, Ore.) three, UMC had a 27-26 lead with 7:06 remaining in the first half. It was the first lead for the Golden Eagles since 3-2. UMC shot a perfect 13-13 from the free-throw line in the first half, and after making four straight after a couple of Beavers baskets, they found themselves up 34-31. It seemed as if the teams couldn’t miss the rest of the half, continuing to fill the scoreboard until an Ethan Channel (Jr. Beaverton, Ore.) layup at the buzzer made it 51-46 UMC going into the halftime break. UMC only turned the ball over twice in the first half and shot 50% from the field. The Beavers were also a perfect 7-7 from the free-throw line and outrebounded the Golden Eagles 15-10 in the first twenty minutes. The Golden Eagles 51 points were the most in a single half since 2017.

SECOND HALF –

The Beavers would outscore UMC in the second half 42-32 on their way to victory. UMC would score on their first three possessions of the second half to take a 57-50 lead. The baskets were scored by Ethan Channel (Jr. Beaverton, Ore.), and two from Uzo Dibiamaka (So, Adelaide, South Australia.). The Beavers would then go on a 7-0 run and tie the game at 57-57 with 16:24 remaining in the game. UMC would answer with an Ethan Channel (Jr. Beaverton, Ore.) three, but it would quickly be nullified by a Beavers jump shot. Dylan Hushaw (So. Las Vegas, NV) would cash in another three to make it 63-59, but Minot State would proceed to go on a 12-4 run to take a 71-67 lead with 9:03 remaining. Marcus Thompson (Jr. Brooklyn, N.Y.) would answer with a layup, but the Beavers would then go on a 4-0 run to claim a 75-69 lead. UMC would get four straight on layups from Ethan Channel (Jr. Beaverton, Ore.) and Nathaniel Powell (So. Nottingham, England.) to cut the Beavers lead to 75-73 with 6:25 remaining. After the teams traded baskets Minot State would go on a 3-0 run to take an 80-75 lead with just 4:34 remaining. UMC showed no quit, scoring four straight on free throws from Uzo Dibiamaka (So, Adelaide, South Australia.), and a layup from Zen Goodridge (Jr. Orlando, FL.). The Golden Eagles had chances down the stretch but couldn’t cash in, and the Beavers knocked down their free throws to secure an 88-83 victory. It was one of the better offensive performances all season for UMC, shooting 49% from the field and only turning the ball over 8 times. The Beavers shot over 50% and 21-22 from the free-throw line to help pave the way to victory.

UMC drops to 4-8 and 1-5 in NSIC play with the loss and will be back in action tomorrow in Bismarck when they take on the University of Mary Marauders. The Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m. Minot State improves to 9-3 and 3-3 in the NSIC with the win.