No. 17 DWU uses late surge to down No. 10 Red Raiders

MITCHELL, S.D. – With less than five minutes to play, the No. 17 Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball team used a 15-4 run to close out the game and defeat Great Plains Athletic Conference opponent, No. 10 Northwestern College 85-69 Wednesday at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.

 Both offenses were slow to begin the game as the Tigers (20-9, 10-7 GPAC) scored the only two points of the game for the first three minutes of play. But, thanks to 3-pointers by Nygel Drury (Madison, Wis.) and Collin Kramer (Volga, S.D.) and a jump shot by Trae Vandeberg (Madison, S.D.), DWU took a 10-4 lead.

 Later in the first half, Vandeberg was fouled while attempting a three-point shot. He went to the free-throw line and knocked in all three free throws to give DWU a 26-13 lead. After the Red Raiders (22-5, 12-5 GPAC) cut the lead to five points, Tyson Smiley (Omaha, Neb.) dribbled his way through defenders and made a layup. A minute later, he nailed a 3-pointer to close out the first half and give the Tigers a 42-32 lead at the break.

 Northwestern began the second half scoring six points to pull within six points of DWU. However, on the next possession, Vandeberg found Kramer who made a three-point shot to push the lead back to nine points.

 Both teams went on a three-minute scoring drought in the middle of the second half. The drought was ended as Drury pulled up for a jump shot and found nothing but net to give the Tigers a 49-39 lead. Both teams traded baskets for seven minutes as the Tigers were unable to pull away from Northwestern.

 After the Red Raiders came within four points, Vandeberg hit a huge 3-pointer to enliven the crowd. Moments later, Northwestern pulled back within five points, but Smiley answered with another 3-pointer. On the next defensive possession Jason Spicer (Sioux Falls, S.D.) blocked a layup, which transitioned to two points for the Tigers on offense. The Tigers continued to score six-straight points in the closing minutes, bringing the DWU faithful to their feet.

 Vandeberg led the way for the Tigers with 25 points and five rebounds, while Smiley recorded a double-double on 24 points and 12 rebounds. Spicer finished with 16 points, eight assists and four rebounds, as Kramer added 11 points and Drury chipped in nine points. The Tigers shot 47 percent from the field, while holding Northwestern to 25 percent shooting from three-point range.

 DWU concludes the regular season at Concordia University in a GPAC contest at 4 p.m. Saturday in Seward, Neb.