TURNOVERS PLAGUE TIGER MEN’S BASKETBALL AGAINST A STRONG ST. THOMAS TEAM
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – Dakota Wesleyan men's basketball stumbles in their first game at the Cruzin Classic in the Sunshine State against a strong St. Thomas University team.
The Quick Details
Score:
DWU 66 – STU 76
Records:
DWU 5-7
STU 11-2
How It Happened
The Tigers got off to a quick start against St. Thomas, as Kallan Herman and Koln Oppold both hit shots giving the Tigers a five-point lead. DWU called their first 30-second timeout of the first half after STU hit a shot beyond the arc for a one-point lead at 12-11 with 15-minutes to play in the opening half. STU called a timeout of their own right after the Tiger's. Dakota Wesleyan was never able to regain the lead, but they did keep it within a possession or two. Oppold hit a jumper with 10:16 remaining in the first half, cutting the margin to one-point at 23-22. D'Andre Dennis grabbed the offensive rebound on the missed three point shot by Herman. Dennis dished the board back to Herman for him to hit the shot and bring the Tigers back within two points 30-28. Blaze Lubbers made a layup with just under seven-minutes to play putting DWU back in a one possession game. Dennis gave the Tigers the one-point lead back with five and a half minutes to play, but it was short lived as STU took it back on their next trip down the floor. As Dakota Wesleyan hit a cold stretch, for the final five minutes and 20-seconds; Herman sent the Tigers into the locker room down by three, 39-36, after he collected on a three-point shot with 10-seconds left before halftime.
St. Thomas got off to a hot start in the second half; Dakota Wesleyan kept the deficit manageable before cutting it back to two after Dennis hit a three-point shot of his own as STU continued to hold the lead 45-43. After a few minutes passed, Dennis hit another shot beyond the arc tying the game at 47-47 with 14-minutes to play. DWU secured their first lead of the second half with 13:29 left in regulation with a Herman three-pointer, 50-47. The Tigers began pushing their lead out with shots from Dennis and Jakob Dobney securing a 55-47 lead. Head coach Matt Wilber called a full timeout with 10:28 left on the clock and STU within one point to tying the game. As five minutes left in the game neared, Dobney kept the Tigers in the battle making a layup with 5:19 to play and down by two-points, 65-63. Another late cold spell by DWU let the small margin grow late in the game, as they were unable to hit key shots before the final horn of the game sounded and the Tigers fell to STU 76-66.
Overall, the Tigers shot 37.5% from the floor and 25.6% beyond the arc. The Tigers out rebounded STU 50-32 in the game but allowed more turnovers 18-5. DWU scored eight points off those five St. Thomas turnovers while STU scored 16-points off the DWU turnovers. The Tigers netted 11 second chance points and 20 points in the paint while the bench chipped in with 11.
Beyond the Results
- Kallan Herman: 19 points, 46 FG%, 41 3-pt%, and five rebounds
- D'Andre Dennis: 11 points, 44 FG%, 42.8 3-pt%, and two assists
- Koln Oppold: 10 points, 38 FG%, six rebounds, nine assists, and two blocks
Up Next
Tiger men's basketball is back in action tomorrow night for their final game of the 2022 Cruzin Classic when they take on the receiving votes team of Rochester. DWU and RU will tip off tomorrow evening at 7 p.m..