Hot shooting propels Tiger men over Central Christian

LAS VEGAS – Shots were falling from just about everywhere for the No. 12 Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball team on Wednesday night. The Tigers went on to shoot 54 percent from the field to defeat Central Christian College of McPherson, Kan. 84-67 in Las Vegas.

 With 12:57 to play in the first half, a Trae Vandeberg (Madison, S.D.) layup already doubled the opponents score 25-12. Later in the half, sound defense and a blistering offense pushed the Tiger lead to 16 points on a Tate Martin (Mitchell, S.D.) 3-pointer. Nine 3-pointers later, the Tigers (13-3, 6-1 GPAC) took a 43-30 lead in the locker room, after shooting 57 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc. Vandeberg tallied 16 points in the first half to go along with 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point land.

 DWU ultimately pushed its lead to 15 points when Ty Hoglund (Dell Rapids, S.D.) began his hot-shooting effort, thanks to a long range 3-pointer early in the second half. With 12:09 to play in the game, Hoglund sank another trey, giving the Tigers a 65-43 lead. Central Christian (8-5) came within 13 points late in the game, but a pair of Hoglund free throws and another Vandeberg 3-pointer put the game out of reach for CCC.

 Vandeberg led all scorers with 24 points on 5-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc. Hoglund added 20 points on 4-of-6 shooting from downtown, while Spicer pitched in 18 points and six assists. Martin orchestrated a powerful attack, recording 10 points, nine assists and six rebounds.

 The Tigers outrebounded CCC 34-28, while holding Central Christian to 43 percent shooting from the field and 24 percent from beyond the arc.

 DWU returns home to compete in the Mike Miller Classic, taking on York College (Neb.) at 9:30 p.m. Jan. 29 at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D.