No. 10 DWU shoots past Flames on Senior Day

MITCHELL, S.D. – The No. 10 Dakota Wesleyan University women's basketball team hosted the College of Saint Mary for Senior Day, as DWU took care of CSM, 86-52 in Great Plains Athletic Conference action Sunday in Mitchell.

 The first field goal of the game came as Sarah Carr (Huron, S.D.) drove through the lane and made a layup, putting the Tigers (24-4, 15,3 GPAC) up early. DWU got their offense going as Ashley Bray (Anoka, Minn.) nailed a 3-pointer, followed by back-to-back baskets by Kynedi Cheeseman (Alexandria, S.D.), putting the Tigers up, 14-6.

 The defense stepped up in the second quarter as it held the Flames (3-24, 1-17 GPAC) to just six points in the quarter. The Tigers went on a 16-5 run that was capped off by an Ashley Bray 3-pointer to give DWU a 41-23 lead. With the clock running out, Cheeseman stole the ball away from the Flames and drove to the basket for a layup as time expired in the first half. The Tigers took a 45-24 lead at the break.

 Midway through the third quarter, Amber Bray (Anoka, Minn.) muscled her way up as she made a layup, forcing the Flames to call a timeout. Coming out of the timeout, Cheeseman found some space and knocked in the mid-range jumper to put the Tigers up by 18 points. DWU kept the offense rolling on their next possession as Carr found Madison Mathews (Draper, S.D.) open as she made a deep 3-pointer to put the Tigers up 59-39.

 DWU opened up the final quarter with 11-straight points to climb out to a 37-point lead. Minutes later, Mathews nailed another three-point shot, this time from the corner to help extend the lead and secure the victory.

 Senior Amber Bray recorded a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Rylie Osthus (De Smet, S.D.) pitched in 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Cheeseman added 17 points, four rebounds and five steals, as Ashley Bray notched 14 points and six rebounds. The Tigers shot 46 percent from the field while holding CSM to 29 percent shooting. DWU scored 40 points in the paint compared to 12 by the Flames.

 The Tigers return to action in their final home game of the regular season as they host No. 9 Northwestern College at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.