Blistering offense propels DWU men over Doane

CRETE, Neb. – After cruising to a 26-12 lead early in the first half, the No. 13 Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball team topped Doane University 96-76 in Great Plains Athletic Conference play Saturday in Crete, Neb.

 The Tigers (18-5, 9-2 GPAC) set the tone in the first half, hitting the half century mark, while shooting 61.8 percent from the field. Freshman sensation Ty Hoglund (Dell Rapids, S.D.) carried DWU with 15 points in the first half, knocking down two 3-pointers within under a minute at the three minute mark, giving the Tigers a 52-23 advantage. Hoglund went on to hit 6-of-7 shots from the field, including three 3-pointers. As a team, the Tigers knocked down 11 3-pointers in the first half alone.

 Coming out of the locker room to start the second half, junior Jason Spicer (Sioux Falls, S.D.) put his foot to the pedal and never looked back. Spicer recorded five points in under a two minute span out of the gate to give the Tigers a 62-36 lead over Doane. From the 10:28 mark in the second half to the 4:49 mark, Spicer accounted for 12 of the Tigers' 15 points. Spicer finished with 29 points and nine rebounds, just shy of a double-double. The junior forward was also one point shy of his career-best 30 points, but he did tie his career-best of 13 made field goals in a game and field goals attempted with 22.

 DWU shot 55 percent from the field, 46 percent from beyond the arc and 70 percent from the charity stripe. Four of the five Tiger starters tallied double-digit scoring. Trae Vandeberg (Madison, S.D.) added 20 points and six rebounds, while Hoglund finished with 19 points. Senior Tate Martin (Mitchell, S.D.) added 12 points and nine assists.

 The Tigers remain on the road as they visit Morningside College for a GPAC showdown at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Sioux City, Iowa.