No. 6 Tigers outlast Bulldogs to stay atop GPAC

SEWARD, Neb. – The Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball team toppled Great Plains Athletic Conference foe Concordia University on the strength of strong shooting and unselfish play Saturday in Seward, Neb.

The No. 6 Tigers move to 24-3 overall and 14-3 in the GPAC after the 92-83 win on the road, as DWU shot 50 percent from the field and finished with 20 total team assists.

With the Bulldogs staying close in the second half, DWU got a big contribution from senior forward Jalen Voss (Worthington, Minn.), who missed nearly all of the first half with foul trouble. Voss scored the majority of his 19 points after the break.

Senior guard Kris Menning (Corsica, S.D.) scored a team-high 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting. He hit five 3-pointers and nearly completed a double-double after grabbing nine rebounds.

The Tigers got 11 points apiece from senior forward Luke Bamberg (Corsica, S.D.) and junior forward Jade Miller (Mitchell, S.D.). Bamberg added eight rebounds, while Miller finished with three 3-pointers. Junior guard Trae Bergh (Crooks, S.D.) chipped in with nine points and five assists, while senior guard Joey Mitchell (Tulare, S.D.) added eight points with two 3-pointers.

The Tigers shot 32-of-64 from the field and 12-of-30 from deep, while outrebounding the Bulldogs 37-34.

Concordia was led by Chandler Folkerts with 23 points and eight rebounds. Joel Haywood added 16 points for the Bulldogs, who shot 33-of-65 from the field and 4-of-13 from behind the three-point line.

DWU is a half-game ahead of No. 10 Morningside College in the GPAC standings. The Mustangs topped No. 9 Midland University 87-82 on Saturday.

The Tigers remain on the road to play Northwestern College at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Orange City, Iowa.