Efficiency leads No. 9 Tiger women over Briar Cliff

MITCHELL, S.D. – Holding the Briar Cliff University women's basketball team to 22 points in the second half, the No. 9 Dakota Wesleyan University women's basketball team scored 20 points in the first, second and fourth quarters to defeat the Chargers 80-50 in Great Plains Athletic Conference action Saturday at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.

 The strong Tiger defense held Briar Cliff in check throughout the first half. On the offensive side, the Tigers (11-2, 5-2 GPAC) raced out to a seven-point lead after a 3-pointer from Makaela Karst (Plankinton, S.D.) in the first quarter.

 Entering the second quarter, Briar Cliff was held to just 15 points until the 6:09 mark, but Ashley Bray (Anoka, Minn.) and Kynedi Cheeseman (Alexandria, S.D.) quickly went to work to stretch the Tiger lead to 16 points. Closing out the first half, Amber Bray (Anoka, Minn.) hit a long-range 3-pointer to give DWU a 41-22 lead heading into the locker room.

 As DWU hit the floor in the second half, the Tigers were clicking on all cylinders. Amber Bray hit jumper with 5:50 in the third quarter to the Tigers a 20-point lead that they began adding to throughout the rest of the game.

 With 7:28 to play in the game, Rylie Osthus (De Smet, S.D.) hit a jumper to put DWU on top by 30 points. The Tiger defense went right back to work in the fourth quarter, allowing just 16 points to BCU in the final stanza.

 Amber Bray led the Tigers with 15 points, five boards and five assists, while Cheeseman added 15 points and five rebounds. Ashley Bray tallied 12 points and six rebounds and Jessica Mieras (Sioux Falls, S.D.) pitched in 12 points off the bench in 15 minutes of work.

 The Tigers shot 54 percent from the field and 75 percent from the charity stripe. DWU outrebounded BCU 38-20 and tallied 21 assists compared to 10 by the Chargers.

 DWU returns to the court against in-state rival Dakota State University at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in Madison, S.D.