MITCHELL, S.D. – After Kynedi Cheeseman (Alexandria, S.D.) tallied a game-high in points for a third-straight game, the No. 8 Dakota Wesleyan University women's basketball team shot their way to victory in its Great Plains Athletic Conference opener against Dordt College, 85-55 Wednesday at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.
The Tigers (6-0, 1-0 GPAC) started the game with precision shooting that propelled them to an early lead following back-to-back 3-pointers by Kynedi Cheeseman (Alexandria, S.D.) and Madison Mathews (Draper, S.D.)
DWU extended its lead as the first quarter came to an end after Ashley Bray (Anoka, Minn.), Cheeseman and Jessica Mieras (Sioux Falls, S.D.) each nailed a 3-pointer to give the Tigers a 26-15 lead heading into the second quarter.
The second stanza saw much of the same as the Tigers continued to build on their lead and never allowed their lead to dip below double-digits, taking a 42-26 lead into halftime.
The Defenders (3-4, 0-1 GPAC) could not slow down the DWU offense in the second half, while the Tigers opened up a 20-4 run to begin the third quarter and never looked back. The largest lead of the game for DWU came in the fourth quarter when they held a 33-point lead, cruising to victory.
Cheeseman finished the game with 21 points and five assists, while Mieras added 15 points and four rebounds. Ashley Bray tallied 14 points and six rebounds, as Rylie Osthus (De Smet, S.D.) recorded nine points and four assists.
DWU finished the game shooting 50 percent from the field, 39 percent from 3-point range and recorded 26 assists.
The Tigers return to GPAC action as they host No. 3 Concordia University at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.
