The University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagle men’s basketball team locked horns with the Minot State Beavers in a tight defensive contest, but the Beavers were able to hold on to a 69-61 win in Minot on Saturday afternoon.
FIRST HALF –
The first half got started with UMC jumping out to a quick 5-2 lead, but the Beavers had an answer. responding with a 12-0 run to jump out to a 14-5 lead. UMC wouldn’t let the game get out of control, however, as the Golden Eagles hit back-to-back threes from Hunter Lorenson and Alijah Washington to cut the lead to 16-11. The lead would hover around that mark for a few minutes until it got to 19-15, when the Beavers pulled away a bit, going on a 7-0 to go up 11 at 26-15, their largest lead of the game. UMC had an answer once again, though, going on a 14-6 run, spreading the wealth amongst multiple players, allowing them to cut the lead down to 3, at 32-29. However, Minot State had the last laugh in the half, scoring 6 of the final 8 points to take a 38-31 lead into the locker room for halftime.
SECOND HALF –
In the second half, both teams exchanged buckets and free throws until the Beavers pulled ahead to a 47-36 lead, equaling their largest lead of the game to that point. UMC continued to find answers to avoid being blown out, as two free throws from Landon Dimler cut the lead down to 7, at 52-45. From there, the Beavers continued to set the pace, preventing the Golden Eagles from closing the gap any further. That changed, however, as the Beavers hit a 4-minute scoring drought, allowing UMC to close the gap to 5 at 52-47. The offensive pace was slow in comparison to the first half, and this allowed UMC to stay in the game. With 8:21 to go, two Beaver free throws gave Minot State a 59-49 lead, but the Golden Eagles looked to put together the push they needed to close the gap. UMC responded with a 12-3 run, with 5 free throws and a clutch 3-pointer from Washington, cutting the lead down to 63-61 with 1:38 to go. However, those would be the last points of the game for UMC, as the Beavers scored the final 6 points of the game, and were able to hold on for a 69-61 win.
UMC falls to 1-9 on the year, 0-5 in the NSIC. Minot State is now 6-5, 3-2 in the conference.
| 1st | 2nd | Final | |
| Minot State | 38 | 31 | 69 |
| UM-Crookston | 31 | 30 | 61 |
| For UMC | Points | Rebounds | Misc. |
| Alijah Washington | 17 | 5 | 1 steal |
| Donez Lindsay | 12 | 6 | 1 assist/1 steal |
| Spencer Swenson | 9 | 8 | |
| Quincy Everson | 8 | 3 | 1 assist/steal/block |
| Kazabi Mukoba Jr. | 4 | 4 | |
| Hunter Lorenson | 3 | 4 | 1 assist |
| J.D. Roberts | 3 | 3 | 2 block |
| Landon Dimler | 3 | 4 | 2 assist/1 steal |
| Brayden Carlson | 2 | 3 | 1 assist |
