DWU preps for final road contest of January

MITCHELL, S.D. – The Dakota Wesleyan University women's basketball team looks to continue its momentum having won nine of its previous 11 games. Dakota Wesleyan battles Hastings College at 2 p.m. on Saturday from Lynn Farrell Arena in Hastings, Neb.

The Game

 DWU secured a huge road victory on Wednesday as it defeated conference foe Briar Cliff University 74-68 in Sioux City, Iowa. The Tigers shot 49.1% from the field and tallied 21 assists and 29 rebounds. Haidyn Pitsch (Prior Lake, Minn.) finished with a team-high 17 points as she went 6-of-13 from the field along with a pair of rebounds and three assists.

 The freshman leads Dakota Wesleyan in scoring and is currently third on the team in assists and steals. Pitsch has averaged 14.3 points per game and surpassed double figures in 15 games this season. The 5-foot-5 guard has also dished out 37 assists and 18 steals.

 Natalie Gottlob (Salem, S.D.) continues to expand her role for the Tigers as she reached double figures on Wednesday for the second time this season. Gottlob, who finished with 10 points and four rebounds versus the Chargers, has collected 43 rebounds on the season including 15 offensive rebounds. The junior forward has also shot tremendously well from the free-throw line and has converted 17-of-19 attempts from the charity stripe.

 Matti Reiner (Tripp, S.D.) aims to continue her balanced play for Dakota Wesleyan after another double-digit scoring performance versus Briar Cliff. The sophomore forward tallied 13 points, eight assists and six rebounds to help secure the road victory on Wednesday. Reiner is second on the team in both scoring and rebounding as she has averaged 13.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per contest.

 As a team, the Tigers check in at eighth nationally in total assists with 317 and are 12th in the country in blocks with 71.

The Coaches

 Jason Christensen (Dakota Wesleyan University '98) is in his 11th season with the DWU women's basketball squad. Christensen has led the Tigers to six 20-win seasons including a 21-11 finish a season ago.

 Jina Douglas is in her sixth season as the Hastings College women's head basketball coach. She led the Broncos to a 30-3 record during the 2019-20 season as Hastings sat as high as No. 2 in the NAIA national rankings.

The Series

 The series has been controlled by Hastings College, holding a 36-10 record in games played between the schools. The Tigers defeated the Broncos in the first meeting this season 68-60 from the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D.

 Scouting the Hastings Broncos

 Hastings holds a 5-13 record this season and has lost six of its last seven contests. The Broncos have netted 115 made 3-pointers on the season and are 37th in country in total scoring offense with 1,209 points scored.

 Kaitlyn Schmit leads the attack as she paces Hastings offensively averaging 12.6 points per outing including three games having surpassed 20 points. The 5-foot-6 guard is shooting 33.3% from the field currently and is also averaging 2.6 assists per game.

 For fans attending the game, please visit http://www.hastingsbroncos.com/article/3470.php#.YBQy_WRKg0E to comply with all COVID-19 protocols set forth by Hastings College. The game will also be streamed online with live stats available at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/hastings/. As always, Tim Smith and Bob Sprang will be on the call and can be heard at kmit.com, or on 105.9 FM on the radio.