CROOKSTON, Minn. - The University of Minnesota Crookston women's basketball team will open up the new year of 2014 on Friday and Saturday as they host Upper Iowa University and Winona State University. Both games will commence at 4 p.m. from Lysaker Gymnasium. The Golden Eagles will look to snap a five-game losing skid dating back to a win Nov. 30 against Bemidji State.

On Tap For This Weekend
Fri., Jan. 3
Upper Iowa at Minnesota Crookston • 4 p.m. • Lysaker Gymnasium • Crookston, Minn.
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Sat., Jan. 4
Winona State at Minnesota Crookston • 4 p.m. • Lysaker Gymnasium • Crookston, Minn.
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Live Radio: 1260 KROX AM

Golden Eagle Quick Hits

Ending The Skid
The Golden Eagles will begin 2014 looking to snap their five-game losing streak stretching back to a Nov. 30 win over Bemidji State University at home. Minnesota Crookston played competitively against the Beavers last time out in Bemidji, but ultimately fell 75-66. They will look to rebound as they host Upper Iowa University and Winona State University after playing three straight road games to end the 2013 slate.

Getting Her Shot To Fall
Ashley Martell (So., G, Somerset, Wis./Health Science) started the season a little slowly but ended the 2013 portion of the schedule strongly after hitting four treys against Bemidji State Dec. 20. Martell has also a couple of other strong games this season as she hit three against St. Cloud State and four versis Finlandia. Martell enters the weekend shooting 48.6 percent from three.

Home Court Advantage
The Golden Eagles are 4-3 at Lysaker Gymnasium this season, while they have struggled on the road this year and are 0-3 away from the friendly confines of Lysaker. The Golden Eagles will look to improve upon their record at home with games against Upper Iowa and Winona State this weekend.

McRoberts Coming On
Sophomore Erika McRoberts (F, Byron, Minn./Health Science) is averaging 7.6 points and5 5.6 rebounds in the last seven games after scoring just four points and grabbing five rebounds in the first three games of the season. McRoberts has started the last four games for the Golden Eagles and has been an added post presence alongside Moenkedick. McRoberts tallied 12 points on the road against Northern State and 10 versus Minnesota Duluth at home.

Three-Point Shooting
Minnesota Crookston has been a tremendous three-point shooting team so far this season as they are currently second in the NSIC for three-point shooting percentage with 39.8. The Golden Eagles hit 13 threes against BSU the first time around and had 15 treys versus Finlandia University. Thielman leads the team shooting a remarkable 51.0 percent from three so far this season. Teammate Ashley Martell (Jr., G, Somerset, Wis./Health Science) comes in shooting 48.6 percent while Christine Thorn (So., G, St. Michael, Minn./Early Childhood Education) is connecting on 36.8 percent of her shots.

Last Season Rewind
The Golden Eagles were swept last season by Upper Iowa and Winona State. UMC fell 91-66 to Upper Iowa in Fayette, Iowa and 68-41 to Winona State on the road in Winona, Minn. McRoberts led the team with 13 points in the game against Upper Iowa while the Peacocks were led by 30 points from Whitney Kieffer while point guard Sam Thrapp had 13 points and 12 assists. Versus Winona State, the Golden Eagles struggled to get much of anything going last season while the Warriors were led by 15 points from Katie Wolff.

Previewing The Peacocks
Upper Iowa enters the weekend with a 4-6 (3-3 NSIC) mark on the season. The Peacocks fell to Winona State 60-44 in their last game Dec. 21. Upper Iowa has wins in conference over University of Sioux Falls, Southwest Minnesota State University and Winona State. The Peacocks have been led this season by guard Whitney Kieffer, who is averaging 17.5 points per game. In addition, forward Carly Pagel comes in averaging 9.8 points per game. Point Guard Thrapp comes in averaging 9.3 points and 3.8 assists and is shooting 42.4 percent from trey. Lauren Buck comes in averaging 9.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game for the Peacocks.

Previewing The Warriors
Winona State is 7-3 overall and 3-3 in league play entering the weekend. The Warriors are on a three-game winning streak entering 2014 after wins over Upper Iowa, Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls. Winona State has been led this season by Abby Busch, who is averaging 17.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game this season. Kelsey Andrist comes in averaging 7.8 points per game for the Warriors.

Golden Eagles By The Numbers
8.2  Average threes per game for the Golden Eagles entering this weekend

78.1 Free throw percentage for Minnesota Crookston entering Friday's game against Upper Iowa

30.2 Average points per game between Katrina Moenkedick and Alexa Thielman

18.0 Average points per game for Alexa Thielman in the last six games

104 Most points scored this season by the Golden Eagles over Bemidji State