CRETE, Neb. – The No. 8 Dakota Wesleyan University women's basketball team took care of business as they defeated Doane University 84-49 in Great Plains Athletic Conference action Saturday in Crete, Neb.
Distribution and defense was key for the Tigers (18-4, 10-3 GPAC) in the first quarter as they strung together a 10-0 run in the opening minutes of the game. Sarah Carr (Huron, S.D.) began the run with a layup, followed by a Madison Mathews (Draper, S.D.) jump shot. Less than a minute later, Ashley Bray (Anoka, Minn.) completed the old-fashioned three-point play after making a layup and knocking in her free throw.
DWU extended their lead near the end of the first quarter as Kynedi Cheeseman (Alexandria, S.D.) made a jump shot. Moments later, Ashley Bray nailed a 3-pointer to give the Tigers a 21-6 lead after one quarter.
After neither team scored in the first two minutes of the second quarter, Ashley Bray hit another three-point shot to open up the scoring. Cheeseman began to take over down the stretch in the second quarter as she made back-to-back 3-pointers to give DWU a 35-16 lead at halftime.
Doane (6-15, 1-12 GPAC) opened up the second half with five-straight points. However, DWU answered with an 8-0 run of their own. Sophomore guard Makaela Karst (Plankinton, S.D.) scored the final five points of the third quarter for the Tigers after making back-to-back layups and a free throw to put DWU up 57-30.
Up by 24 points in the fourth quarter, Ashley Bray made a jump shot followed by twin sister Amber Bray (Anoka, Minn.) nailing a deep 3-pointer. A minute later, Cheeseman knocked in a free throw to extend the lead to 30 points and seal the victory.
Cheeseman led the way with 23 points and five rebounds, while Ashley Bray scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds. Amber Bray added 11 points and four rebounds, Carr notched nine points and Jessica Mieras (Sioux Falls, S.D.) tallied eight points off the bench. DWU shot 53 percent from the field and 37 percent from three-point range. The Tigers outrebounded Doane 47-25 and scored 40 points in the paint compared to 20 from Doane.
DWU takes on No. 6 the University of Jamestown in non-conference action at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in Jamestown, N.D.