OMAHA, Neb. – With 6:12 left and the game tied at 53, the Dakota Wesleyan University women's basketball team needed to put together a run to finish the regular season with a victory. However, the College of Saint Mary Flames had different plans as they pulled off the upset, 72-66 in a Great Plains Athletic Conference game Saturday afternoon in Omaha, Neb.
The game began just as the Tigers (24-5, 15-5 GPAC) planned as they jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the opening minutes. DWU would remain in control for the remainder of the quarter as they led 20-11.
With 6:47 left in the first half, the Tigers took a 13-point lead following a Kynedi Cheeseman (Alexandria, S.D.) 3-pointer. The Flames (7-22, 2-18 GPAC) found their groove in the closing minutes of the half as they went on a 10-1 run to cut the DWU lead to four at intermission.
Erica Herrold (Dimock, S.D.) sank a 3-point shot to open the second-half scoring to giving the Tigers an early 35-28 lead. However, the Flames would not go away quietly as they tied the game three times during the third quarter. DWU trailed for 10 seconds in the first 30 minutes of play and headed into the fourth quarter with a 48-47 lead looking to put out the Flames for good.
After the Flames nailed a 3-pointer in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter, DWU needed to put together a run to regain the lead. However, the closest the Tigers came was a tied game at 53 after Ashley Bray (Anoka, Minn.) drained a deep 3-point shot with 6:17 left. DWU was unable to regain the lead as they dropped their fifth game of the season.
Herrold led the Tigers in scoring with 15 points and five assists. Ashley Bray scored 12 points while Amber Bray (Anoka, Minn.) added 11 points and four rebounds. Chesney Nagel (Springfield, S.D.) tallied four points and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds. The Tigers shot 38.2 percent from the field, 37.9 percent from beyond the arc and 81.3 percent from the free-throw line.
DWU returns home for the quarterfinals of the GPAC Tournament as they host Briar Cliff University at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D.