DWU MEN’S BASKETBALL GETS THE WIN IN A NARROW GAME AGAINST IN-STATE RIVAL DSU

Madison, S.D. – Dakota Wesleyan men's basketball led in nearly all scoring categories Wednesday evening against Dakota State as three players score double-digit points and Blaze Lubbers grabs a double-double setting a new career high in points and rebounds.

The Quick Details

Score:

DWU 74 – DSU 62

Records:

DWU 3-5

DSU 3-5

How It Happened

DWU got off to a great start as Jakob Dobney hit a three to open the scoring. Just over a minute later, Koln Oppold collected on a field goal giving the Tigers a 5-0, followed by Blaze Lubbers hitting a three of his own on Dakota Wesleyan's next trip down the floor pushing their lead to 8-0. Dakota State finally got on the board after four-minutes of play with a jumper, but still trailed 8-2. As the clock dwindled towards 15-minutes left in the first half, DWU and DSU exchanged field goals as the Tigers continued to lead by six as the Trojans called for a timeout. Once play resumed, Dakota State made back-to-back jump shots, cutting the Dakota Wesleyan lead to two, 10-8, before Alan Kikwaki made one of two foul shots, pushing the margin back to three. Both teams went cold for the following two-minutes of play till the Trojans broke the scoreless streak with a jump shot and Kallan Herman converted on a pair of free throws keeping the Tigers lead at three. With 11-minutes to go in the first half, DSU tied the game for the first time at 13-13 on an and-one free throw after a shooting foul was called on DWU. The Tigers continued to hold door to the lead as the Trojans continued knocking as we neared the 10-minute mark. Dakota State was able to grab their first lead of the game with 8:48 left to play after a shot from deep. Dakota Wesleyan continued to battle through the remainder of the first half keeping the score within reach as Kikwaki, Lubbers, and Oppold all made shots on consecutive trips down the floor to regain the one-point lead, 21-20. With five-minutes to play before halftime, the Trojans led by as much as six, but the restless shooting of DWU worked in the Tigers favor as they  made the final basket of the first half and headed to the locker room with a four-point lead, 35-31.

Dakota State opened the second half with four point, tying the game just a mere minute and 15-seconds in, before Dakota Wesleyan regained the two-point lead on a field goal from Dobney. DWU pushed their lead back out to four-points with a three from Dobney, but the Trojans put on a 5-0 run knotting the game at 40-40 with just over 16 and a half minutes to play. Drew Van Regenmorter put DWU back up by five after a jumper and a three pointer, before DSU cut that back to three points just 55-seconds later. Kikwaki collected on a jump shot extending the Tigers lead to 49-44 before DSU called for a timeout with 11:32 to play. Oppold added three more points just minutes after the "old school" way, making his field goal, then stepping to the line to take one free throw. Dakota State burnt another timeout after Kikwaki made a layup, pushing their lead to 59-52 with seven and a half minutes to play. Heading into the final three-minutes, Oppold gave DWU an 11-point advantage over the Trojans, before DSU cut it back to a ten-point lead and head coach Matt Wilber called for a timeout. Lubbers added four more points as one minute in regulation was near giving the Tigers a 73-59 lead. Dakota Wesleyan grabbed their final point of the game with 14-seconds to go to win the game 74-62 and close out the roughly 1,674 miles traveled in the month of November alone.

Dakota Wesleyan outshot Dakota State in every category, but not by much. The Tigers shot 46.8% from the field, 25% beyond the arc, and 56.3% at the foul line; while the Trojans shot 43.3% from the floor, 23.5% beyond the arc, and 54.5% at the free throw line. DWU grabbed 42 rebounds, with 22 assists. The Tigers forced 10 DSU turnovers scoring six points off those turnovers; while notching 16 second chance points, 40 points in the paint, and 25 points off the bench. Lubbers tallied new career highs in both points and rebounds with 13 in each respective category. Kikwaki's six assists also marked a new career high

Beyond the Results

• Koln Oppold: 21 points, 72.7 FG%, 50 3-pt%, 80 FT%, seven rebounds, and four assists
• Blaze Lubbers: 13 points, 45.4 FG%, 25 3-pt%, 66.6 FT%, and 13 rebounds
• Alan Kikwaki: 13 points, 66.6 FG%, 50 FT%, eight rebounds, and six assists

Up Next

Dakota Wesleyan men's basketball will see the walls of the Corn Palace for the first time this season as they open their home schedule with a pair of games Friday and Saturday. On Friday, it will be a battle of the Tigers and Dakota Wesleyan welcomes Doane to the Palace for a 6:45 p.m. tip off. Then on Saturday, the Tigers will take on the Broncos of Hastings College in a 2:45 p.m. tip off.