Reiner, Campbell push Tigers past Lancers

MITCHELL, S.D. – The Dakota Wesleyan University women's basketball team earned a 72-55 victory over conference foe Mount Marty University in Great Plains Athletic Conference play on Sunday from the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D.

 Dakota Wesleyan snuck out to an 8-4 lead early in the first quarter. Kaylee Kirk (Balaton, Minn.) converted a layup underneath the basket off an offensive rebound to push the lead to 4-0 early in the period.  Moments later, Matti Reiner (Tripp, S.D.), who finished 8-of-15 from the field, knocked down a jumper followed by a pair of free throws to give DWU the 8-4 lead at the 7:04 mark.

 The Tigers (10-6, 8-6 GPAC) extended the advantage to 20-13 at the end of the first frame. Junior Jada Campbell (Alexandria, S.D.) drilled a mid-range jumper off the assist from Isabel Ihnen (Lennox, S.D.) to put Dakota Wesleyan up by seven, 17-10 at the 2:41 mark. Natalie Gottlob (Salem, S.D.) ended the first quarter with an old-fashioned 3-pointer as DWU carried the seven-point lead into the second quarter.

 Dakota Wesleyan jumped out to a 10-0 run to begin the second quarter while the Lancers (3-14, 1-13 GPAC) missed their first 11 shots of the period. Reiner and Campbell connected on back-to-back jumpers to spark the run and DWU held a 24-13 advantage at the 7:58 mark.

 Campbell, who finished with 16 points in the first half, converted another jumper off the assist from Haidyn Pitsch (Prior Lake, Minn.) late in the first half to give DWU a 38-23 lead. Pitsch knocked down a pair of free throws from the charity strike to close out the first half and the Blue and Gray controlled a 40-25 lead at the intermission.

 Reiner continued her strong offensive performance in the third stanza as the 5-foot-10 sophomore scored the first five points for the Tigers. A defensive block by Campbell led to an offensive rebound and layup by Reiner on the offensive end of the floor. Moments later, Reiner drained a 3-pointer off the assist from Campbell to give Dakota Wesleyan a 45-32 lead at the 8:03 mark.

 DWU closed the third frame on an 11-6 run and maintained a 60-40 lead with one quarter left to play. Rynn Osthus (De Smet, S.D.) and Kirk secured back-to-back steals with two minutes remaining in the third period. Gottlob, who ended the game one-point shy of double figures and 5-of-5 from the free-throw line, recorded a pair of free throws with under 90 seconds left to play in the third.

 With the game well in reach, Mount Marty outscored Dakota Wesleyan 15-12 in the final stanza. A jump shot in the paint by Mya Wilson (Sioux Falls, S.D.) and a pair of free throws by Haylee Mork (Aberdeen, S.D.) guided the Tigers to the 72-55  home victory.

 Campbell and Reiner combined for 45 points to lead all scorers. Campbell, the 6-foot-4 junior, recorded a double-double with a season-high 24 points and team-high 14 rebounds. Meanwhile, Reiner secured a career-high 21 points on eight made field goals along with nine rebounds and two steals. Gottlob recorded nine points as well as the Tigers secured 46 rebounds and finsished 16-of-19 from the charity strike. 

 Dakota Wesleyan returns to action versus College of Saint Mary at 2 p.m. on Sunday from the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D.