Shorthanded Tigers outlast Defenders

MITCHELL, S.D. – Despite being shorthanded, the No. 10 Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball team fought until the final buzzer as they defeated (RV) Dordt University, 71-70 in a tight Great Plains Athletic Conference showdown Wednesday at the Corn Palace.

 Dordt jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after a layup and a free throw. However, Samuel McCloud (Rapid City, S.D.) knocked down his first of five 3-pointers made on the night to tie the game.

 After the Defenders (15-6, 6-5 GPAC) made another shot from beyond the arc, DWU went to work. It started with a Jeffrey Schuch (Dell Rapids, S.D.) layup, followed by a Collin Kramer (Volga, S.D.) 3-point basket to give DWU its' first lead of the night.

 Koln Oppold (Sioux Falls, S.D.) joined the scoring as he nailed a 3-pointer to extend the Tiger (16-3, 8-2 GPAC) lead to six points.

 With nine minutes to play in the half, McCloud made another shot from downtown, assisted by Kramer. Minutes later, it was McCloud who found Kramer for an easy layup, forcing Dordt to call a timeout.

 Coming out of the break, the Tigers did not slow down as Oppold made a layup and McCloud made another 3-pointer, give DWU a 12-point advantage.

 The Tigers looked to be holding a seven-point lead heading into halftime after an Oppold layup. But, a Dordt 3-pointer with seconds to play cut the DWU lead to four points at intermission.

 In the second half, the Defenders pressed DWU, trying to force a turnover. However, it turned into points for the Tigers as Oppold found Mason Larson (Langford, S.D.) for a transition 3-pointer.

 After a McCloud 3-pointer gave DWU a four-point lead, the Defenders went on a 10-1 run to take a 60-55 lead with nine minutes to play.

 A Garrett Franken layup gave Dordt a three-point lead with just under five minutes to play. But, the Tigers went on a 6-0 run to hold a 71-68 lead with 2:22 remaining.

 Neither team scored for two minutes until the Defenders knocked down a pair of free throws. Following the free throws, Dordt fouled Larson to send him to the free-throw line. Larson missed the front end of the 1-and-1 and Dordt called a timeout with 3.3 seconds to play.

 The Defenders drew up one final play the saw a last-second heave tossed towards the basket the was too strong, as the Tigers notched the season sweep of Dordt.

 McCloud notched a career-high 25 points and five steals, while Schuch added 15 points and six rebounds. Oppold tallied 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists, as Larson notched 11 points and six rebounds and Kramer finished with seven points.

 The Tigers shot 49.1% from the field and 37.5% from 3-point range, while forcing Dordt into 16 turnovers and scoring 19 points off turnovers.

DWU hits the road as they battle Midland University in a GPAC tilt at 4 p.m. Saturday in Fremont, Neb.