Hastings holds off furious DWU rally
MITCHELL, S.D. – The Dakota Wesleyan University men’s basketball team came into the final game of the regular season knowing it could not help or hurt its positioning for the Great Plains Athletic Conference tournament.
MITCHELL, S.D. – The Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball team came into the final game of the regular season knowing it could not help or hurt its positioning for the Great Plains Athletic Conference tournament. The No. 15 Tigers could have used a win to strengthen its positioning for the NAIA National Tournament, but key injuries and foul trouble held DWU back against Hastings College Saturday at the Corn Palace.
DWU fell behind by 21 points in the second half before making a furious rally to cut the deficit to a single bucket, but the Broncos made just enough big shots down the stretch to hold off the Tigers 74-67. The loss drops DWU to 21-9 overall and 13-7 in the GPAC to close the regular season.
DWU finishes alone in third place in the GPAC standings and will be the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament. The Tigers host Concordia University, which is the No. 6 seed after finishing 18-11 overall and 10-10 in the GPAC. The Tigers and Bulldogs also met in last year's opening round at the Corn Palace, with DWU coming out on top. The Tigers have toppled the Bulldogs twice this season.
On Senior Day at the Corn Palace, DWU honored the careers of forward Terrell Newton (Huron, S.D.), forward Jade Miller (Mitchell, S.D.) and guard Trae Bergh (Crooks, S.D.) with a pregame ceremony.
After missing the last game, Bergh tried to give it a go against Hastings, but was pulled after the score got one sided in the second half. Bergh finished with seven points on 3-of-7 shooting, while hitting one 3-pointer in 15 minutes on the floor.
The Tigers found themselves even more shorthanded when Miller was forced to sit with his fifth foul early in the second half. After scoring at least 20 points in his last seven, Miller was held to just five.
The DWU rally was sparked by sophomore guard Trae Vandeberg (Madison, S.D.) who finished 10-of-15 from the field for 23 points and grabbed five rebounds. Junior guard Tate Martin (Mitchell, S.D.) played a large role in the comeback with 18 points and 10 assists for a double-double. Newton was held off the board but grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.
The Tigers shot 23-of-62 from the field, 7-of-26 from deep and 14-of-28 from the free-throw line. Hastings won the rebounding battle 44-38.
Carson Blum led Hastings with 21 points, including three 3-pointers, while Connor Musiel added 14 points. Kendall Ferguson had a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds. The Broncos shot 26-of-60 from the field, 7-of-17 from deep and 15-of-26 from the line.
DWU opens the GPAC tournament with Concordia at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D.
