Long-range attack leads DWU men past Concordia

MITCHELL, S.D. – With star forward Jalen Voss (Worthington, Minn.) on the bench for much of the first half with foul trouble, the Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball team turned to its three-point shooting to pull away from Concordia University in a Great Plains Athletic Conference matchup Friday at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D.

The No. 4 Tigers shot 15-of-25 (60 percent) from long range in a 91-78 win over the Bulldogs to improve to 13-1 overall and 6-1 in the GPAC this season.

Senior guard Joey Mitchell (Tulare, S.D.) was hot from the outside in the first half, connecting on four of his five 3-pointers before the break. Mitchell finished with 18 points in the win.

Voss came back in the second half and was nearly unstoppable, including from the outside. Voss scored a game-high 25 points, including three 3-pointers. Voss was 10-of-18 from the field and added two blocks on the defensive end.

Junior guard Trae Bergh (Crooks, S.D.) got open in the second half and made the most of it. Bergh finished with 22 points, including six made 3-pointers. Bergh was 8-of-11 from the field and dished out five assists.

Senior guard Kris Menning (Corsica, S.D.) added eight points and a team-high nine rebounds, while sophomore guard Tate Martin (Mitchell, S.D.) finished with six assists and two steals.

The Tigers finished 36-of-65 from the field. The best team in the nation in assist to turnover ratio complied 21 assists as a team, compared to seven turnovers.

The Bulldogs were led by Robby Thomas with 20 points, including four 3-pointers and three assists, while Micah Kohlwey added 16 points in the loss. Concordia was 29-of-58 from the field and 11-of-17 from beyond the three-point line. The Bulldogs finished with a slight 27-26 advantage in rebounding.

The Tigers are off until they travel to West Palm Beach, Fla., for an event at Northwood University starting on Dec. 29.