No. 12 Tigers cruise past Briar Cliff

Sioux City, Iowa – The No. 12 Dakota Wesleyan University women's basketball team picked up their sixth-straight win on Saturday after defeating Briar Cliff University, 69-48 in a Great Plains Athletic Conference matchup in Sioux City, Iowa.

 The Tigers (22-4, 13-3 GPAC) started the game on an 8-0 run with help from hot shooting and stifling defense, holding the Chargers scoreless until the 4:15 mark in the first quarter. DWU got the offense going late in the first quarter with back-to-back jumpers from Amber Bray (Anoka, Minn) and Madison Mathews (Draper, S.D.) as they held the lead at the end of the first quarter, 17-5.

 Amber Bray continued the hot shooting into the second quarter with a jump shot from behind the free-throw line, followed by a baseline drive by Kynedi Cheeseman (Alexandria, S.D.) making it a 21- 5 ballgame. The Chargers (9-17, 6-10 GPAC) made a run midway through the second quarter, but Sarah Carr (Huron, S.D.) put an end to that with a baseline drive and bucket pushing the lead to 28-13. DWU maintained control throughout the first half going into the locker room with a 34-19 lead.

 Briar Cliff came out of halftime on a quick 5-0 run and came within nine points of the Tigers. But that came to a halt as DWU made three-straight 3-pointers. Chesseman drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key and Ashley Bray (Anoka, Minn) hit two-consecutive 3-pointers to push the lead to 43-25.

 In the beginning of the fourth quarter, both teams traded baskets, but DWU proved to be to much as the Tigers came away with a 21-point victory.

 Ashley Bray led all scorers, notching a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Carr and Amber Bray netted 11 points and seven rebounds each. Riley Osthus (DeSmet, S.D.) posted 10 points and 10 rebounds, good for a double-double. The Tigers shot 46 percent from the field, and outrebounded the Chargers 47-18 in the game.

 DWU hits the road to take on GPAC rival Morningside College at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Sioux City, Iowa.