MITCHELL, S.D. – Riding a 24-point victory three nights earlier, the Dakota Wesleyan University women's basketball team took care of business on Saturday night, defeating Doane University 81-57 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference semifinal showdown at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D.
A strong first half was the answer for the Tigers (26-5) as they led for much of the contest out of the gates. DWU took a 10-point at the start of the second quarter, thanks to layup by freshman Kynedi Cheeseman (Alexandria, S.D.). Sophomore Rylie Osthus went to work for the Tigers in the second quarter, knocking down two 3-pointers as DWU led by eight 40-32 heading into the locker room.
"She (Osthus) just does a lot of good things for us and gets us in our offense," Head Coach Jason Christensen said.
Less than 15 seconds into the second half, Osthus broke through the lane and hit a jumper, giving DWU a 10-point lead. Later in the quarter, Osthus banked another 3-pointer as the Tigers started to fend-off Doane from making any type of comeback. The Tiger defense held strong heading into the final quarter, keeping the Doane (16-16) offense at bay, securing the victory and a trip to the GPAC Championship.
Osthus finished the night with 22 points and four assists, while Sarah Carr (Huron, S.D.) added 15 points and five rebounds off the bench. Ashley Bray (Anoka, Minn.) tallied 11 points and five rebounds, while Kristin Sabers (Mitchell, S.D.) chipped in nine points.
The Tigers shot 49 percent from the field and 90 percent from the charity stripe. DWU outrebounded Doane 30-20.
DWU hits the road to take on Concordia University in the GPAC Championship at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Seward, Neb.
