DWU falls in closing moments

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – It was a ferocious comeback by Valley City State University that the Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball team was unable to avoid in a 66-63 defeat in the Sanford Pentagon NAIA Basketball Classic Saturday in Sioux Falls, S.D.

 On the opening possession of the game, Jeffrey Schuch (Dell Rapids, S.D.) found a cutting Nick Harden (Chicago, Ill.) for an easy layup. On the ensuing possession, Sawyer Schultz (Emery, S.D.) found himself open from beyond the arc as he knocked down a 3-pointer.

 The Tigers (0-1) continued to build on their lead as Harden dished the ball to Bradley Dean (Pierre, S.D.) who nailed a 3-pointer of his own to make the lead double digits. A few moments later, Dean found himself open again as he made his second shot from downtown on the night.

 As the offense began clicking, the defense became stifling. The Vikings (1-1) were held without a field goal for over four minutes midway through the opening half, as DWU built a 24-9 lead with nine minutes to play in the half.

 As soon as VCSU trimmed its deficit to 12 points, Koln Oppold (Sioux Falls, S.D.) knocked down a 3-pointer to end the run. With five minutes to play in the half, the Vikings converted on a free throw to cut their deficit to single digits for the first time since the opening minutes of the contest.

 However, a 3-pointer by Mason Larson (Langford, S.D.) and a layup by Schuch gave DWU a nine-point lead at the midway point of the game.

 The second half began quickly for Oppold as he made back-to-back baskets to extend the Tiger lead to 13 points, forcing a VCSU timeout. After the Vikings again cut the DWU lead to single digits, Dean nailed another triple to keep the Vikings at a distance.

 With 15 minutes to play, Oppold made a layup to give DWU a 14-point lead. However, the Vikings knocked down consecutive 3-pointers to make it an eight-point lead for the Tigers.

 Midway through the second half, VCSU pulled within six points. But Schultz and Larson put an end to that with triples to give DWU some breathing room, forcing a Viking timeout.

 Coming out of the timeout, VCSU began to chip away at the DWU lead. Over a four-minute span, the Vikings strung together a 14-4 run to tie the game at 59 with just over four minutes to play.

 After both teams traded free throws, the score remained tied, this time at 63. However, with 30 seconds to play, the Vikings made a layup to take its first lead of the game. The Tigers were unable to answer as they could not hold off the late rally by VCSU.

 Dean led the way off the bench with 19 points, as Oppold chipped in 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists. The Tigers shot 40.7% from the field and recorded seven steals and five blocked shots.

 The Tigers take on Presentation College at 6 p.m. tomorrow at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.