No. 17 Tigers upend No. 10 Chargers

MITCHELL, S.D. – Behind Ty Hoglund's (Dell Rapids, S.D.) 41-point performance, the No. 17 Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball team defeated No. 10 Briar Cliff University, 83-70 in a Great Plains Athletic Conference showdown Wednesday night at the Corn Palace.

 The Chargers (16-5, 10-4 GPAC) grabbed the first bucket of the game, but Hoglund got his night going early with a 3-pointer to answer the Chargers' first basket. Both teams traded baskets, but with 11 minutes remaining in the first half, the Tigers (17-6, 10-5 GPAC) regained the lead with a Koln Oppold (Sioux Falls, S.D.) layup to make the score 16-15.

 Both teams went scoreless for two minutes, but the Tigers began a 7-0 run highlighted by a Hoglund 3-pointer and a pair of layups from Aaron Ahmadu (Houston, Texas) and Nick Harden (Chicago, Ill.) to recapture the lead at 24-19.

 With under two minutes remaining in the first half, DWU closed out the half on a 7-2 run, including a Tristan Teichmeier (Sioux Falls, S.D.) layup and a Hoglund layup to push the Tiger lead to 39-31 at halftime.

 DWU picked up right where they left off out of the locker room as Hoglund drove through the lane for an easy layup. Moments later, Collin Kramer (Volga, S.D.) drilled a 3-point basket to extend the lead to 44-33.

 A few possessions later, the Tigers got a steal from Samuel McCloud (Rapid City, S.D.) that turned into a DWU fast break. Following a missed layup, Kramer followed with a put-back slam dunk to push the DWU lead to 10 points.

 Briar Cliff climbed back into the game with free throws and an easy layup. The Tigers put an end to the Charger run with back-to-back scoring possessions from Ahmadu and Oppold to regain a nine-point lead.

 With the Chargers looking to get back in the game, DWU got a huge 3-pointer from Hoglund to put the Corn Palace crowd on their feet as the Tigers regained the momentum in the game. In the later moments of the second half, the Tigers were able to capitalize on their free throws, shooting 13-of-15 from the line in the last five minutes of the game to secure the victory.

 Hoglund fell four points shy of his career high, scoring 41 points on 15-of-22 shooting from the field, including 6-of-11 from the 3-point line. Ahmadu added 14 points for the Tigers while Harden chipped in 10 points and five steals. Oppold finished with seven points, as Kramer lead the team in rebounds with nine and also tallied six points.

 DWU will be back on the road to face GPAC foe No. 3 Morningside College at 4 p.m. Saturday in Sioux City, Iowa.