Tough defense pushes No. 7 Tigers past Warriors

MITCHELL, S.D. – The Dakota Wesleyan University women's basketball team outscored Midland University in every quarter on its' way to a 71-48 Great Plains Athletic Conference victory on Saturday at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.

 The Warriors (3-4, 0-2 GPAC) got off to a quick start as they led 5-2 after two minutes of play that forced a DWU timeout.

 Coming out of the timeout, Kynedi Cheeseman (Alexandria, S.D.) made a layup, followed by a pair of Jessica Mieras (Sioux Falls, S.D.) free throws to make it a one-point game.

 Cheeseman gave the Tigers (4-1, 1-1 GPAC) their first lead of the game following a layup and two free throws. Haylee Mork (Aberdeen, S.D.) nailed a 3-pointer moments later to extend the lead to four points. 

 The Tigers opened the second quarter on a quick 6-0 run on their first three possessions to make it a 10-point game after two minutes of play in the second quarter. After Midland pulled within five points, Makaela Karst (Plankinton, S.D.) and Cheeseman made layups on the next two possessions to push the lead back to nine points.

 With a minute to play in the half, freshman Mattie Reiner (Tripp, S.D.) knocked down a shot from behind the arc that gave the Tigers a 32-22 lead at the half.

 Three minutes into the third period, Sarah Carr (Huron, S.D.) found Rynn Osthus (De Smet, S.D.) who scored three points the old-fashioned way as she was fouled after making her layup. She made the ensuing free throw to make it a 42-29 game.

 The Tigers converted five more free throws in the third quarter and only allowed 11 points that gave them a 53-33 lead with 10 minutes to play.

 After the Warriors knocked down a 3-point shot in the beginning of the final stanza, the Tigers went on another 6-0 spurt thanks to layups by Carr, Cheeseman and Mieras that pushed the lead to 22 points. DWU cruised to victory to secure its' first conference win of the season in front of its' home fans.

 Cheeseman led all scorers with 27 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the field and was a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line. Karst tallied 10 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Carr added 12 points, three rebounds and two blocks. The Tigers shot 51.9 percent from the field and 92.9 percent from the free-throw line.

 DWU returns to action against University of Jamestown at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Jamestown, N.D.