Menning posts double-double, DWU men pull away for win

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – As it has so many times through the first half of the season, the Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball team pulled away after halftime to secure another win on the first day of the Dick Versace Classic at Northwood University in West Palm Beach, Fla.

After shaking off the rust from not playing for 10 days, the No. 4 Tigers (14-1) took control against Concordia (Can.) to close out the first half and carried the momentum over into the second half for an 83-53 win.

The Tigers outscored the Stingers 47-26 after the break led by 10 made 3-pointers following halftime.

DWU was led by the sharpshooting of senior guard Kris Menning (Corsica, S.D.), who made 7-of-11 attempts from long range and finished with a game-high 22 points. Menning added 10 rebounds to finish with a double-double.

Seven different Tigers hit at least one shot from long range, as DWU finished 16-of-30 from three-point distance. Senior guard Joey Mitchell (Tulare, S.D.) scored 15 points, including two 3-pointers, while senior forward Jalen Voss (Worthington, Minn.), the reigning Great Plains Athletic Conference Player of the Week, added 14 points and six rebounds.

Sophomore guard Tate Martin (Mitchell, S.D.) came off the bench to add nine points, all coming on 3-pointers, and dished out five assists.

DWU finished 31-of-62 from the field and shot 60 percent from the floor in the second half, while outrebounding Concordia 47-36. The Tigers, who lead the nation in assist to turnover ratio, finished with 23 assists and 15 turnovers as a team.

The Stingers were led by Mukiya Post with 11 points and four rebounds. The Canadian team shot 31 percent from the field and made just 6-of-26 shots from three-point range.

The Tigers are back on the court Tuesday for a top-5 matchup with the host team and third-ranked Northwood Seahawks at 6 p.m.