Red Raiders down Tiger men in GPAC action

ORANGE CITY, Iowa – Despite running out to a 24-19 lead early in the first half, the No. 12 Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball team was unable to hold off No. 4 Northwestern College, 103-88 in a Great Plains Athletic Conference battle on Saturday in Orange City, Iowa.

 Trae Vandeberg (Madison, S.D.) connected on four 3-pointers in the first eight minutes of action, giving the Tigers (15-5, 6-2 GPAC) some breathing room early in the contest. It didn't last long, however, as the Red Raiders took their first lead of the game at the 10 minute mark. Vandeberg eventually put the Tigers back on top on a jump shot in the lane with 8:30 to go in the first half. Northwestern (18-2, 8-1) quickly grabbed the lead again, taking a 48-40 margin into the locker room.

 The Tigers were unable to find a spark early in the second half as the Red Raiders cruised to a 14-point lead at the 16 minute mark. As the game progressed, the DWU hung within ten points for much of the half, but began to find some momentum when Tate Martin (Mitchell, S.D.) hit a jumper with 5:56 to go in the game. Ultimately, the late second-half effort wasn't enough as Northwestern hit the century mark with a minute remaining, taking the game out of the hands of the Tiger offense.

 Freshman Ty Hoglund (Dell Rapids, S.D.) led the Tigers with 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while hitting four 3-pointers. Martin finished with 21 points and nine assists, while Jason Spicer (Sioux Falls, S.D.) added 19 points and five assists. Vandeberg finished with 16 points, going 4-of-7 from the 3-point line. DWU shot 51 percent from the field, 44 percent from beyond the arc and 78 percent from the free-throw line.

 The Tigers return home to take on Briar Cliff University for a GPAC contest at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D.