Cheeseman’s milestone night leads DWU past Chargers

MITCHELL, S.D. – Senior Kynedi Cheeseman (Alexandria, S.D.) recorded a career milestone as she moved into fifth on the Dakota Wesleyan University women's basketball all-time scoring list with 1,663 career points as No. 7 DWU defeated Briar Cliff University, 74-55 in a Great Plains Athletic Conference matchup Monday at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.

 DWU found the scoreboard first, thanks to a pair of Sarah Carr (Huron, S.D.) free throws to give the Tigers (6-2, 2-2 GPAC) their first lead of the game at 2-0. The Chargers (2-6, 1-3) took the lead following a three pointer before Cheeseman made it 4-3 in favor of the Tigers moments later.

 After a back and forth first period, DWU led 15-11 thanks to a Cheeseman 3-pointer in the final seconds of the quarter. 

 Carr opened the second quarter with a layup to push the Tiger lead to 17-11. After four-straight points from the Chargers, DWU held a two-point lead. Carr tallied the next three points for the Tigers off a layup and converted one of two free throws to push the score to 20-15. BCU responded with a 3-pointer of their own to pull within three of the Tigers.

 DWU held Briar Cliff scoreless for the final six minutes and went on an 18-0 run to close out the second half, leading 38-18.

 The Chargers opened the second half with two free throws, to cut the deficit to 18 points. After a Carr layup, Makaela Karst (Plankinton, S.D.) nailed a 3-pointer to push the Tiger lead to 23 points with eight minutes remaining in the third period.

 With 49 seconds left in the third stanza, a Briar Cliff 3-pointer pulled the Chargers within 12 points. However, this was the closest the Chargers would get, as Jessica Mieras (Sioux Falls, S.D.) converted a layup to push the lead back to 14 points to close the quarter.

 The Tigers closed out the fourth period by outscoring the Chargers 17-12 in the final frame, resulting in a 74-55 final in favor of Dakota Wesleyan.

 Carr led all scorers with 21 points and six rebounds, while Cheeseman tallied 16 points and three rebounds. Karst recorded a double-double as she tallied 12 points and 11 boards. DWU shot 36% from the field and 20.7% from 3-point range.

 The Tigers head to Presentation College on Dec. 2 in non-conference action at 6 p.m. in Aberdeen, S.D.