(RV) TIGERS STIFLE MIDLAND, 85-39, IN FINAL REGULAR-SEASON ROAD CONTEST
Fremont, Neb. – In its final regular-season road contest of the 2021-22 campaign, the (RV) Dakota Wesleyan University women’s basketball program sprinted out to a 19-3 first quarter and stifled Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) opponent Midland University, 85-39, on Saturday afternoon from the Wikert Event Center in Fremont, Neb. Eleven Dakota Wesleyan players scored on the afternoon which guided DWU to its fifth-straight win.
Fremont, Neb. – In its final regular-season road contest of the 2021-22 campaign, the (RV) Dakota Wesleyan University women's basketball program sprinted out to a 19-3 first quarter and stifled Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) opponent Midland University, 85-39, on Saturday afternoon from the Wikert Event Center in Fremont, Neb. Eleven Dakota Wesleyan players scored on the afternoon which guided DWU to its fifth-straight win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Layups by Jada Campbell and Kaylee Kirk jolted Dakota Wesleyan out to a seven-point lead, 10-3, with 4:06 left in the first quarter. Campbell ended the afternoon with a team-high 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting as the Tigers (22-6,14-6 GPAC) converted 50% from the floor.
Morgan Edelman continued the quick start with a defensive steal and ensuing field goal which forced Midland to burn a timeout down by 11, 14-3. Out of the stoppage, Campbell finished at the rim again while Aspen Hansen knocked down a 3-pointer with under 10 seconds to play in the frame. The Blue and Gray registered four made triples in the contest, and Dakota Wesleyan held a decisive, 19-3 edge at the end of the first period.
DWU narrowly outscored the Warriors (8-19, 4-16 GPAC), 10-9, through the first four minutes of the second frame, and Dakota Wesleyan controlled a double-digit, 29-12 advantage at the 5:46 mark. Rynn Osthus and Natalie Gottlob tallied back-to-back layups to help expand the Tiger's benefit, yet Midland guard Peyton Wingert continued to pace MID as she ended the afternoon with a game-high 19 points.
Defensively, the Blue and Gray limited Midland to four points over the final five minutes of the second quarter as head coach Jason Christensen and company rattled off a 12-4 spurt to end the half. Isabel Ihnen netted a 3-pointer while Matti Reiner followed with four-straight makes from the charity stripe. DWU shot 17-of-19 (89.5%) from the free-throw line, and the Tigers maintained a 41-16 edge at the intermission.
Dakota Wesleyan constructed its highest offensive performance of the day in the third quarter as Reiner and the Tiger offense outscored MID 25-12 in the stanza. Ihnen registered another triple off an assist from Lacey Sprakel with just over three minutes in the frame, and Edelman answered with a basket at the rim. The 5-foot-6 freshman guard reached double-figures with 10 points accompanied by eight rebounds, and Dakota Wesleyan led 66-28 with 10 minutes to play.
In the fourth quarter, Abbigail Magnuson and Anna Campbell guided DWU to a 19-11 finish over the final period. Tiger freshman Sprakel also chipped in a pair of layups, and Dakota Wesleyan capped off the dominant road performance with an 85-39 victory as the Blue and Gray collected the season sweep of the Warriors.
Four Tigers surpassed 10-or-more points while DWU outrebounded Midland 50-23 on the glass. Reiner paced all players with 11 rebounds and a team-high five assists. The Tigers also notched 13 steals and distributed 18 assists on the day.
UP NEXT
Dakota Wesleyan concludes the 2021-22 regular season at home with a pair of pivotal conference outings beginning with No. 9 Morningside University at 6 p.m. on Wednesday from the Corn Palace.