No. 7 Tigers bounce back with win over No. 11 Ave Maria
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. – A strong performance in the second half lifted the No. 7 Dakota Wesleyan University men’s basketball team over No. 11 Ave Maria University in a top-15 matchup at the Cruzin’ Classic in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. – A strong performance in the second half lifted the No. 7 Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball team over No. 11 Ave Maria University in a top-15 matchup at the Cruzin' Classic in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
After seven minutes of play, the Gyrenes (11-4) held a 13-7 lead after a breakaway dunk, forcing a DWU timeout.
Coming out of the timeout, Tristan Teichmeier (Sioux Falls, S.D.) was sent to the free-throw line where he made two shots. However, AMU extended its' lead to eight points.
The Tigers (12-2) came storming back with an 8-0 run that was capped off by a Tyson Smiley (Omaha, Neb.) layup to tie the game.
After the Gyrenes took a 28-24 lead on a 3-pointer, the Tigers went on a 10-3 to take a 34-31 lead. Nick Harden (Chicago, Ill.) made consecutive layups to end the half to give DWU a six-point lead heading to halftime.
The Tigers erupted in the first eight minutes of the second half as they strung together a 22-6 run that was highlighted with 3-pointers by Collin Kramer (Volga, S.D.) and Harden.
With just under four minutes to play, Harden buried a 3-pointer to extend the Tiger lead to 30 points. The Tigers never relinquished the lead en route to their fourth win over a top 25 or receiving votes team this season.
Harden tallied a season-high 30 points and added six assists. Smiley notched 15 points, seven assists and six rebounds, while Hoglund recorded 12 points and six rebounds.
DWU shot 54.7% from the field and held the Gyrenes to just 35.2% shooting from the field. The Tigers forced 13 turnovers and finished with seven steals.
DWU returns home to host Trinity International University at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday in the Hoop City Classic at the Corn Palace.
