TIGERS GRAB 47-POINT VICTORY IN GAME ONE OF THE CRUZIN' CLASSIC OVER FNU

Miami Gardens, Fla – Dakota Wesleyan earns the 95-48 victory over Florida National University in the first of two games of the 2023 Cruzin' Classic. Grace Fryda was on fire in this one leading the Tigers with her 18 points (6 3PM). Shalayne Nagel did it on both ends of the court with her 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block. DWU had five players in double figure points while also dominating the rebounding battle 58-29 and assists 26-8.

Highlighted Player– Grace Fryda ~ 18 points  6-13 3PM 

Stat Leaders:

Points – Grace Fryda (18)

Assists – Mya Wilson (7)

Rebounds – Shalayne Nagel (8)

Blocks – Four players (1)

Steals – Morgan Edelman (4)

Recap –

After spending a day in the Florida heat the Tigers carried that over to the court throwing up 30 points in the first quarter. Grace Fryda must have spent some time in the ocean because that is about how big the basket looked for her in the quarter as she poured in 12 points off the bench. The Tigers held FNU to just 10 points in the quarter, bringing over that tough, physical South Dakota defense. Dakota Wesleyan slowed down a little in the second quarter but still outscored the Conquistadors 22-15 to grab a 52-25 lead heading to half.

Fryda led the Tigers in scoring in the first half with her 15 points in just seven minutes of playing time thanks to going 5-8 from beyond the arc. She was followed by a familiar name at the top of the scoring list in Emma Yost who had nine points and three rebounds. Shalayne Nagel continued to prove why she belongs in the starting lineup doing it on both ends of the floor with her eight points, two rebounds and assists, two steals, and one block. Mya Wilson was dropping dimes left and right, collecting a career-high seven assists in the half. The Tigers shot 52.6% from the floor and 41.2% from deep in the half while on the defensive end of the floor they forced 16 FNU turnovers.

DWU carried over that momentum into the second half, dominating the half 43-23 on their way to a 95-48, 47-point victory in game one of two at the Cruzin' Classic. The Tigers forced 24 turnovers in the contest while only committing 13 of their own. Those 24 turnovers turned into 29 points for the Tigers while their 13 turnovers only resulted in four for FNU. Dakota Wesleyan was all over the boards winning the rebounding battle by their widest margin of the season at 58-29 which led to their 23 second chance points compared to Florida National four. The Tigers were also using great ball movement throughout the contest, finding the highest percentage shot, which led to their 26 assists in the game. The 26 assists came up one short of tying the season-high which was 27 against Hastings earlier in the year. Fryda led the Tigers with her 18 points, one shy of her career-high, and was also two three-point field goals away from tying the school record with two minutes left in the third quarter. Due to the lopsided score Fryda didn't attempt another three-pointer the rest of the contest, resulting in six shots from deep. DWU finished the contest with five players in double-figure points.

Up Next

• Dakota Wesleyan women's basketball caps off their Florida trip at the 2023 Cruzin Classic Thursday December 21 with a matchup against host school Saint Thomas University with tipoff at 3 p.m.