Tiger men fall to No. 11 Defenders

MITCHELL, S.D. – For the second time in as many games, the Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball team took on a top-20 opponent Wednesday night. As has been the case in each of the Tigers' Great Plains Athletic Conference losses this season, DWU hung with the No. 11 Dordt College men early in the game, and held a slim lead at halftime, but the Defenders pulled away in the second half for a 92-81 win at the Corn Palace.

The Defenders (13-1, 6-0 GPAC) took an early lead, and made it a six-point game, 11-5, on a 3-pointer by Bryan Sumner with 15:22 left in the half, and later on a tip-in by Kyle Lindbergh, but Anthony Muilenburg scored and Jalen Voss hit a three as part of a seven-point run that ended with a pair of free throws by Voss and a 14-13 lead for DWU.

The Defenders reclaimed the lead, but Jade Miller hit a pair of free throws and Luke Bamberg hit a three to make it a 21-20 lead for DWU with 10:42 left in the half. Dordt took a slim lead once again, and went up five, 31-26, but the Tigers responded with a 5-1 run that included a three by Kris Menning – playing in his first game of the season after an injury – to cut Dordt's lead to one. The two teams continued to exchange the lead, and the Tigers went up three on a layup by Bamberg, but Sumner hit a three to tie the game at 40 with 2:45 left in the half. DWU scored the only basket in the final three minutes of the half when Muilenburg scored with 54 seconds left to give the Tigers a 42-40 lead at halftime.

Trae Bergh hit a three and Bamberg hit a three to push DWU's lead to six, 48-42, early in the second half, but from there the Defenders went on a 21-8 run that spanned more than seven minutes and ended with a 63-50 lead for Dordt with 12:44 left in the game. Bamberg hit another three to cut the gap to 10, 63-53, but Dordt used an 18-6 run to make it a 22-point game, 81-59, with 6:31 left.

The Tigers responded to Dordt's run with a 13-0 run of their own that included a three from Bergh and two from Menning and made it a nine-point game with 3:19 left, but the Defenders converted a three-point play and went 6-for-6 from the line in the final three minutes of the game to seal the win.

Voss finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds for DWU, which shot better than 43 percent in the first half but 37.5 percent in the second. The Tigers shot 40.3 percent from the field for the game, hit 12 3-pointers and went 19-for-24 from the line. Berg added 14 points, Bamberg finished with 13, Menning added 12 and Tate Martin finished with 11 points and seven assists. Dakota Wesleyan had 32 rebounds and 12 turnovers.

Dalton Franken led Dordt with 22 points and Austin Katje added 20. Lindbergh had 17 points and 17 rebounds, and Nathan Rindels also had 12 points. The Defenders shot 48.5 percent from the field, including nearly 59 percent in the second half. They hit 10 threes, went 18-for-22 from the line and had 44 rebounds and 13 turnovers.

DWU is back at home Saturday, Dec. 14, when it hosts Doane College at 8 p.m.