Dordt fends off Tigers in GPAC opener

MITCHELL, S.D. – Down by four with under three minutes remaining, the No. 10 Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball team looked poised to make a run as they had numerous times throughout the game. However, Dordt College kept DWU at bay in the Great Plains Athletic Conference opener as they defeated the Tigers, 73-67 Wednesday at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.

 Midway through the first half, neither team found any breathing room as the game was tied at 18. The Defenders (4-3, 1-0 GPAC) made a run to extend their lead to 26-18. But, the Tigers (4-3, 0-1 GPAC) put together a 16-6 run of their own to close out the first half thanks to two Samuel McCloud (Rapid City, S.D.) 3-pointers to take a 34-32 lead.

 In the beginning minutes of the second half, Dordt opened up a quick 13-point lead to quiet the DWU faithful. The Tigers clawed their way back into the game after a Trae Vandeberg (Madison, S.D.) layup cut the deficit to two points.

 Moments later, Vandeberg nailed a three-point shot followed by a Jason Spicer (Sioux Falls, S.D.) layup to tie the game and re-energize the DWU crowd. With under five minutes to play, Nygel Drury (Madison, Wis.) drove to the basket and finished the layup to give the Tigers their first lead of the second half.

 The Dordt defense proved to be too tough down the stretch as they handed DWU a loss to open conference play.

 Vandeberg led the team with 18 points, as Spicer notched 12 points, five rebounds and five assists. Aaron Ahmadu (Houston, Texas) added 12 points off the bench. As a team, DWU shot 41 percent from the field and 32 percent from 3-point range.

 DWU welcomes Concordia University to town for a GPAC showdown at 4 p.m. Saturday in the Corn Palace in Mitchell.