The University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagle Men’s Basketball team used a solid defensive effort to beat East Central (Ada, Oklahoma) 65-59 in the second day of the American Family Insurance Classic in Duluth, Minnesota.
FIRST HALF –
UMC scored the first basket of the game with a Jordan Mitchell basket in the first minute. The teams were tied at 5 and 7 before ECU scored five straight points for a 12-7 lead seven minutes into the game. UMC countered with a pair of Andrew Strokes free throws, which were followed by a Reid Grant three-pointer to tie the game at 12. Almost a minute later, UMC’s Grant made a free throw before the teams were tied at 15 and 17 before ECU went on a 7-0 run for a 24-17 lead with 5:28 left in the half. The Golden Eagles answered with a Ben Hoverson three-pointer, a Stokes basket, three free throws from Aguek Deng, and five points from Chandler Meeks for a 30-24 lead to cap a 13-0 run. ECU finished the half with a three-pointer with six seconds left in the half, and UMC took a 30-27 lead into halftime.
SECOND HALF
ECu made a free throw to start the half before UMC’s Micah Garrett and Deng made layups. Deng followed with a free throw, and Garrett made a three-pointer for a 28-28 lead four minutes into the half. The big lead didn’t last long as ECU answered with a 7-0 run to go within a 38-35 lead a minute later. The Golden Eagles stopped the run with a Meeks three-pointer, only to have ECU answer with six more points to tie the game at 41 with 12 minutes remaining. The teams were tied at 43 before Stokes made a layup and a free throw for a three-point play. After an ECU basket and UMC’s Stokes answered with a tip-in basket, Garrett and Grant followed with three-pointers for a 54-45 lead with eight minutes to go. ECU tried to chip away at the UMC lead and got within a 56-50 lead before Garrett made a jump shot, and Meeks made a pair of free throws for a 60-50. The teams exchanged baskets, and the Golden Eagles led 62-52 with 2:04 remaining. ECU scored four points before Deng made a free throws. 15 seconds later, Grant made a free throw for a 64-56 lead. UMC held on for a 65-59 victory to earn the first win of the 2024-25 season and get a split in Duluth.
UMC improves to 1-1 on the year and will host Wisconsin Parkside on Saturday, November 16 at 11:00 a.m. in Crookston. East Central is 0-2 on the year.
| 1st | 2nd | Final | |
| UM-Crookston | 30 | 35 | 65 |
| East Central (OK) | 27 | 32 | 59 |
| For UMC | Points | Rebounds | Assists/Steals |
| Andrew Stokes | 15 | 5 | 1 assists |
| Micah Garrett | 14 | 6 | 2 steals |
| Chandler Meeks | 13 | 3 | 1 assists/1 steal/1 block |
| Reid Grant | 9 | 3 | 7 assists/1 block |
| Aguek Deng | 7 | 16 | 5 blocks/2 steals |
| Jordan Mitchell | 4 | 6 | 2 assists/1 block |
| Ben Hoverson | 3 | 1 |
