Tigers hold off late rally by Broncos

MITCHELL, S.D. – Thanks to clutch free-throw shooting in the final minutes, the Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball team secured its fourth-straight win with a 74-70 victory over Hastings College in Great Plains Athletic Conference action on Saturday at the Corn Palace.

 The Tigers (4-1, 3-0 GPAC) started off hot with a quick 7-1 lead after Nick Harden (Chicago, Ill.) nailed a 3-pointer to begin the scoring. The Broncos (3-3, 0-2 GPAC) answered with a 10-0 run to take a 10-7 lead after seven minutes.

 Midway through the half, Mason Larson (Langford, S.D.) made a layup, while Harden made a pair of free throws to pull within a point.

 Hastings buried a 3-pointer, but DWU answered with a Harden 3-pointer to stay within striking distance. However, the Broncos went on a 12-2 run to take an 11-point lead with less than five minutes to play in the half.

 Moments later, Larson put away a dunk to enliven the DWU sideline. The teams traded blows down the stretch of the half until Hastings held a 41-32 advantage at halftime.

 Coming out of the break, Larson made a shot from downtown to kickstart the comeback. On the next possession, Harden lobbed the ball to Larson for a one-handed alley-oop to bring the Tiger bench to its feet.

 Larson continued his hot streak with a jump shot, followed by a Bradley Dean (Pierre, S.D.) steal and layup to bring DWU back within two points. Minutes later, Dean made another layup to give the Tigers their first lead since the first half.

 After the Broncos retook the lead, Sawyer Schultz (Emery, S.D.) knocked down a 3-pointer to return the lead back to DWU. Schultz went on to knock down two more 3-pointers to push the DWU lead to 57-49.

 After a scoreless two minutes, the Broncos strung together a 10-0 run to take a two-point lead with seven minutes to play. But a Koln Oppold (Sioux Falls, S.D.) layup and a pair of Schultz free throws gave the Tigers a two-point lead.

 The teams traded leads after Hastings knocked down a 3-pointer, followed by a Jeffrey Schuch (Dell Rapids, S.D.) 3-pointer. Schuch recorded another pair of layups to extend the lead to six points.

 Following two free throws, Hastings came down the floor and buried a 3-pointer to pull within one point. However, DWU made free throws down the stretch to secure the win.

 All starters scored in double figures as Schultz led the way with 17 points, three rebounds and three blocks. Larson, Schuch and Harden each scored 13 points, while Oppold chipped in 10 points.

 The Tigers step out of conference action to take on Dickinson State University at 7 p.m. on Friday in Dickinson, N.D.