Davis tallies career high, Tigers run past Mustangs

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – It was a career night for freshman Nate Davis (Watertown, S.D.) as he went on to record 25 points, helping the No. 9 Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball team defeat Morningside College 101-72 in a Great Plains Athletic Conference game Thursday night in Sioux City, Iowa.

 The Tigers (19-5, 10-2 GPAC) came storming out of the gates to start the game with Davis and Ty Hoglund (Dell Rapid, S.D.) scoring the first 18 points of the contest. DWU took their largest lead of the first half following a pair of Collin Kramer (Volga, S.D.) free throws, to take a 51-26 lead. Hoglund ultimately gave the Tigers the 24-point lead at the end of the first half after hitting a jumper near the free-throw line. Davis ended the half shooting 5-of-5 from 3-point range to go along with his 17 first-half points.

 DWU didn't let off the gas pedal in the second half as they continued their hot-shooting effort. The Mustangs (16-7, 6-6 GPAC) could not answer the stellar offensive performance from the Tigers as the lead increased to as much as 34 points. The Tigers broke the century mark for the sixth time this season, thanks to 59 percent shooting from the field and 44.4 percent from 3-point land.

 Davis led the Tigers with 25 points and four rebounds. Hoglund supported Davis with 21 points while Jason Spicer (Sioux Falls, S.D.) had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Kaleb Johnson (Sioux Falls, S.D.) scored 11 points off the bench as Tate Martin (Mitchell, S.D.) finished with double-digit assists for the 11^th time this season with 11 assists.

 The Tigers return home as they host Hastings College for Alumni Day at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D. The DWU men's basketball team will also be retiring the jersey of former DWU great Brady Wiebe prior to tip.