Tigers tame Mustangs in top-10 battle as Amber Bray scores 1,000th-career point
MITCHELL, S.D. – In a crucial matchup between two Great Plains Athletic Conference top-10 teams, Amber Bray (Anoka, Minn.) led the charge thanks to a career-night that led the No. 6 Dakota Wesleyan University women’s basketball team over No. 6 Morningside College, 82-58 Wednesday night at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.
MITCHELL, S.D. – In a crucial matchup between two Great Plains Athletic Conference top-10 teams, Amber Bray (Anoka, Minn.) led the charge thanks to a career-night that led the No. 6 Dakota Wesleyan University women's basketball team over No. 6 Morningside College, 82-58 Wednesday night at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.
In the opening minutes of the game, Kynedi Cheeseman (Alexandria, S.D.) nailed back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Tigers (14-3, 6-2 GPAC) an early 6-5 lead.
After Sarah Carr (Huron, S.D.) made two free throws to put DWU up 14-12, both teams struggled to find their offensive rhythm as they were each held scoreless for three minutes. However, the Tigers found their offense and finished the first stanza with a deep 3-pointer by Madison Mathews (Draper, S.D.) at the buzzer to take a 23-15 lead.
DWU maintained their double-digit lead throughout the second quarter and took a 12-point lead into the halftime break thanks to an Amber Bray layup nearing the end of the half.
The Mustangs (13-5, 6-2 GPAC) narrowed the gap in the beginning of the second half as they pulled within six points. But, two free throws by Amber Bray that put her in the DWU record books with 1,000-career points, helped enliven the Tigers.
As the Tigers began the fourth quarter with an eight-point lead, they jumped out to a quick 8-2 run that gave them a 14-point lead early on.
DWU strung together a 15-4 run in the middle of the fourth quarter to widen the gap as the Tigers held a Mustang team who averaged 84 points per game to just 58 points in the game.
Bray notched a double-double as she scored her 1,000th-career point with 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Ashley Bray (Anoka, Minn.) added 17 points and eight rebounds, as Cheeseman tallied 13 points and Carr recorded 10 points and four rebounds off the bench for the Tigers. Floor general Rylie Osthus (De Smet, S.D.) added 11 assists and six boards.
DWU shot 42 percent from the field and 77 percent from the charity stripe. They tallied 49 rebounds compared to 26 by Morningside and had 21 assists to just 11 from the Mustangs.
The Tigers hit the road as they take on GPAC foe College of Saint Mary at 2 p.m. Saturday in Omaha, Neb.