Hastings down Tigers at home

MITCHELL, S.D. - After losing by two points on Wednesday, the No. 17 Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball team dropped another two-point game, this time to Hastings College, 79-77 in a Great Plains Athletic Conference battle Saturday at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.

 The Tigers (6-2, 2-2 GPAC) started off on the right foot, racing out to a 6-0 lead. The Broncos (7-2, 3-1 GPAC) answered back with a three to cut the lead in half. Thanks to back-to-back 3-pointers from Samuel McCloud (Rapid City, S.D.) and Ty Hoglund (Dell Rapids, S.D.) DWU was back on top, leading 12-3.

 Minutes later, both teams traded buckets as the Tigers were up by six. Hoglund nailed a 3-point basket. On the next possession, McCloud netted his third 3-pointer of the game to give DWU a 23-11 lead, forcing a Bronco timeout.

 Hastings fought back in the final minutes of the first half, as they went on a quick 7-2 run to cut the Tiger lead to five. DWU responded with a big 3-point shot from Koln Oppold (Sioux Falls, S.D.) to extend the lead to eight for the Tigers. In the last three minutes of the first half, the Broncos went on a 13-1 run, giving Hastings the lead at the break, 40-36.

 The second half started with two-straight buckets from the Tigers to quickly tie up the game at 40. Both teams went back-and-forth for several minutes in the second half. DWU would regain the lead after an 11-3 run with eight minutes remaining in the game highlighted by a 3-pointer from Oppold and back-to-back layups from Hoglund.

 Hastings kept fighting back to cut the Tiger lead to 61-59, but it was Oppold who delivered once again, draining a 3-pointer as DWU regained a five-point lead. After a Collin Kramer (Volga, S.D.) free throw, the Broncos clawed back, getting themselves within a point with 2:30 left to play in the game.

 Tristian Teichmeier (Sioux Falls, S.D.) was fouled after an offensive rebound attempt. He drilled two free throws giving the Tigers a 74-70 lead. On the next possession, the Broncos nailed a 3-pointer. However, Kramer answered back with a three of his own and DWU led 77-73 with two minutes remaining.

 In the final two minutes, the Broncos finished on a 6-0 run. The Tigers had a chance at the final buzzer but the contested layup was missed and DWU dropped its' second-consecutive game.

 Hoglund led all scorers with 31 points and finished 11-of-16 from the field. Nick Harden (Chicago, Ill.) tallied 11 points, while Oppold chipped in 10 points off the bench along with four rebounds. McCloud notched all of his nine points in the first half, while Kramer gathered nine rebounds and scored seven points.

 The Tigers will finish their four-game home stand as they host the University of Jamestown at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Corn Palace.