No. 6 DWU women shake off Doane in the Palace

MITCHELL, S.D. – The No. 6 Dakota Wesleyan University women's basketball team returned home after two road victories to take on Great Plains Athletic Conference foe Doane University and took care of business. DWU defeated the visiting Tigers 82-51 Saturday at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.

 Both teams got off to a hot start offensively as they remained tied at 21 after the first quarter. However, the Tigers (9-1, 3-1 GPAC) jumped on Doane in the second quarter.

 Sarah Carr (Huron, S.D.) drove to the basket and finished to begin the second-quarter scoring and began a flurry of points as the Tigers scored eight points in less than a minute to take a 31-24 lead.

 The offense didn't stop there as DWU finished the first half on a 15-6 run capped off by Jessica Mieras (Sioux Falls, S.D.) layup and an Ashley Bray (Anoka, Minn.) free throw.

 Ashley Bray scored eight-straight points for the Tigers to extend their lead to 20 points in the opening minutes of the third quarter. DWU continued to extend their lead thanks to tough defense that held the visiting Tigers (4-7, 0-5 GPAC) to just 11 points in the third quarter.

 Midway through the fourth quarter, DWU took their largest lead of the game of 36 points after Ashley Bray sank two free throws. The offense continued to roll down the stretch to secure their third GPAC victory of the season.

 Ashley Bray led the way with 19 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field, while Kynedi Cheeseman (Alexandria, S.D.) recorded 13 points, four rebounds and three assists. Mieras tallied 10 points and six rebounds, while Amber Bray (Anoka, Minn.) added eight points and 10 rebounds.

 The Tigers shot 44 percent from the field and outrebounded Doane 38-28 and had 21 assists compared to 11 by the visitors.

 The Tigers hit the road as they take on in-state GPAC rival Mount Marty College at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Yankton, S.D.