No. 17 Tigers cruise past Bulldogs on the road

SEWARD, Neb. – The No. 17 Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball team ended the regular season with an 80-53 victory over Great Plains Athletic Conference opponent Concordia University Saturday in Seward, Neb.

 The Tigers (21-9, 11-7 GPAC) jumped out to 9-4 lead following a Jason Spicer (Sioux Falls, S.D.) layup. DWU took their first double-digit lead after Nygel Drury (Madison, Wis.) drained a 3-pointer to give the Tigers a 16-6 lead. Midway through the first half, the Bulldogs (17-12, 8-10 GPAC) strung together a run to make it a 19-13 game.

 However, Colling Kramer (Volga, S.D.) nailed his second-of-five three-point shots to give the Tigers a nine-point lead. Concordia scored five-straight points to make it a 22-18 game, but DWU went on a 13-2 run to extend their lead back to double-digits and take a 44-26 lead at halftime.

 Trae Vandeberg (Madison, S.D.) began the second half with a 3-pointer, followed by a Spicer layup. Midway through the second half, Spicer muscled his way up for a layup. On the next possession Aaron Ahmadu (Houston, Texas) knocked down a deep 3-pointer, followed by a Drury three-point shot to make it a 68-43 game. With under five minutes to play, Spicer knocked in another layup, while Vandeberg made a 3-pointer on the next possession as the Tigers went on to defeat the Bulldogs.

 Kramer led the Tigers with a double-double as he notched 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Spicer added 14 points and eight rebounds. Vandeberg tallied 15 points, as Drury and Ahmadu chipped in 11 points each. The Tigers shot 47 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range. DWU finished with 41 rebounds and 18 assists.

 The Tigers host Hastings College the first round of the GPAC Tournament at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.