Hoglund’s late heroics lifts No. 6 DWU past No. 25 Dordt

SIOUX CENTER, IOWA – With 4.5 seconds left, senior Ty Hoglund (Dell Rapids, S.D.) drove down the left side of the lane and tossed up a last-second shot that fell through the hoop to the excitement of the Tiger faithful. The layup gave the No. 6 Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball team a 79-78 victory over No. 25 Dordt University in a Great Plains Athletic Conference top-25 tilt Wednesday in Sioux Center, Iowa.

 Nick Harden (Chicago, Ill.) kicked off the scoring as he blew by his defender for an easy layup on DWU's first possession. However, the Defenders (4-2, 0-1 GPAC) went on a quick 7-0 run to hold a 7-2 lead.

 The Tigers (3-0, 1-0 GPAC) answered quickly with a 3-pointer by Samuel McCloud (Rapid City, S.D.) and three free throws by Hoglund to help DWU regain the lead.

 Harden converted on a 3-pointer, while Tyson Smiley (Omaha, Neb.) made a layup to extend the Tiger lead to four points.

 Leading by two points later in the half, Smiley scored eight-straight points to help the Tigers keep pace with Dordt. Tristan Teichmeier (Sioux Falls, S.D.) picked up the scoring as he converted three-straight layups to tie the game at 30.

 However, the Defenders went on a 15-3 run to hold a 45-33 lead with 2:22 left in the opening half. But the Tigers responded with an 8-2 run of their own to pull within six points at half as they trailed, 47-41.

 DWU opened the second half on another run, this time with a 9-2 spurt that was capped off by a pair of Collin Kramer (Volga, S.D.) 3-pointers to give the Tigers a 51-49 lead.

 The lead did not last long as the Defenders tied the game with a pair of free throws that started a 9-1 run. Midway through the half, Teichmeier took over underneath the basket as he recorded a steal, five points and four rebounds in a one-minute span.

 With 2:51 left to play, Dordt built a 76-71 lead that forced a DWU timeout. Coming out of the timeout, Teichmeier made a free throw and a layup to make it a two-point game. Moments later, Harden picked the pocket of the Dordt ball handler as Smiley ended up converting a fast-break layup to tie the game.

 With a minute left, the Defenders made a basket to regain the lead. On the ensuing possession, Hoglund was fouled and he made one of his two free throws. After Dordt missed the front end of the one and one, the Tigers took a timeout with 15 seconds left. Following the timeout, the ball fell into Hoglund's hands as he drove the left side of the lane and sank his layup as time expired, sealing the victory.

 Hoglund led the team with 22 points and seven rebounds, while Smiley tallied 21 points. Teichmeier recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Of the 10 rebounds, seven of them were offensive rebounds.

 The Tigers shot 43.3 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from 3-point range and forced 14 Dordt turnovers.

 DWU returns home to battle Midland University at 6 p.m. Friday at the Corn Palace.