Defense propels (RV) Tigers past No. 21 Jimmies in season finale

MITCHELL, S.D. – In a crucial Great Plains Athletic Conference battle on senior day, the (RV) Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball team handled No. 21 University of Jamestown 77-70 on Saturday afternoon from the Corn Palace.

 After missing the previous four games, Mason Larson (Langford, S.D.) came out firing as he drained a 3-pointer to kick off the scoring for DWU. The teams traded blows, but a pair of Nick Harden (Chicago, Ill.) layups kept the game tied, 7-7.

 Moments later trailing by four points, Larson found nothing but net from 3-point range to pull DWU within a point. Less than a minute later, Harden converted on another layup to hand the lead to the Tigers (18-7, 14-6 GPAC).

 After a scoreless three minutes, a Jamestown dunk pushed its lead to three points. However, Larson responded with his third 3-pointer of the night to tie the game at 17.

 With the score tied at 21 with six minutes to play in the half, DWU took a 30-second timeout. After regrouping, the Tigers strung together a 20-8 run to end the half, kickstarted by a Teegan Evers (Huron, S.D.) 3-point basket. Following the run, DWU took a 41-29 advantage into the locker rooms at halftime.

 Coming out of the break, Koln Oppold (Sioux Falls, S.D.) found his rhythm offensively as he buried a pair of 3-pointers to begin the second-half scoring.

 After the Jimmies (18-7, 14-6 GPAC) tipped the ball in to pull within 10 points, Oppold knocked down one of his four 3-pointers to push the lead back to 13 points. Moments later, Evers made a free throw followed by a jump shot to extend the lead to 15 points with 12 minutes to play.

 Holding onto a 61-45 lead after a Jeffrey Schuch (Dell Rapids, S.D.) jumper, the Jimmies attempted a comeback with just over eight minutes to play.

 However, following a 5-0 spurt by Jamestown, the Tigers responded with a 6-0 run to balloon the lead up to 17 points with six minutes left, forcing a Jamestown timeout. The Jimmies pulled within as few as seven points, but free throws by DWU helped secure the season-finale victory over No. 21 Jamestown.

 Harden completed his senior night with 22 points and six assists, while Oppold posted a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. In his first game back since January, Larson chipped in 15 points off 3-of-5 shooting from downtown, as Evers added 10 points off the bench.

 The Tigers held Jamestown to roughly 14 points shy of its season average and about 14% below its season average shooting from the floor. The Blue and Gray finished with 16 points off turnovers and outscored the Jimmies 32-20 in the paint.

 DWU hosts Concordia University for the GPAC Tournament Quarterfinals at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the Corn Palace.