Minnesota Crookston (4-20, 1-19 NSIC) edged out UMD 87-85 in Crookston during the first weekend of NSIC play. Like last Saturday's match-up at Winona State, the Bulldogs had limited bodies to put on the floor, but Reetz' 35-point performance kept them in it, while Zoelle added 25 points and Crawford 13. Senior guard Ashton Harrell nearly went point-for-point with Reetz, scoring 34 points for the Eagles. UMD got just three points out of its bench but shot 58.6 percent in the second half as they charged back from an 11-point halftime deficit. The win for Crookston was just the fourth all-time against the Bulldogs, just 4-23 against UMD all-time.
Five NSIC teams find themselves in this week's initial official NCAA II Central Region rankings, but the Bulldogs are on the outside looking in. UMD will need to make a splash in the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament which begins next Wednesday and hope to get their momentum jump-started this weekend. The Bulldogs and Beavers' opening tip is set for 8:00 p.m. on Friday night, with Saturday's game slated for 6:00 p.m., following the women's contest.
