Women’s basketball set for clash with Chargers

MITCHELL, S.D. – Winners of two straight and six of its last seven, the Dakota Wesleyan University women's basketball team clashes with (RV) Briar Cliff University at 6 p.m. on Wednesday from the Newman Flanagan Center in Sioux City, Iowa.

The Game

 Dakota Wesleyan defeated College of Saint Mary by a score of 84-51 on Sunday from the Corn Palace as DWU completed the season sweep of the Flames. The Tigers, who shot 45.6% from the floor, were led by sophomore Matti Reiner (Tripp, S.D.) who led all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting. As a team, Dakota Wesleyan dished out 23 assists and collected 42 rebounds.

 Reiner continues to trigger the DWU offense as she is second on the team in scoring, rebounding and assists. The 5-foot-10 forward has reached double figures in nine of her last 10 games including a career-high 21 points in a win versus Mount Marty University. Meanwhile, the Tiger sophomore has averaged 6.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.

 Center Jada Campbell (Alexandria, S.D.) also continues to propel the Blue and Gray offensively as she leads the conference in field-goal percentage at 50.9%. The 6-foot-4 junior has tallied 40 points over her last two starts including a season-high 24 points versus the Lancers of Mount Marty. Just as assertive on the defensive end, Campbell has recorded 27 blocks on the season as she ranks second in the conference and 17th nationally in blocks.

 Kaylee Kirk (Balaton, Minn.) continues to serve as the floor general for the Tigers as she garners national attention in both steals and assists. The junior guard ranks sixth in the country with 93 assists and sits 11th nationally with 47 steals. Kirk also leads Dakota Wesleyan in assists and steals per game at 3.0 and 2.7 per contest, respectively.

 As a team, the Tigers check in 10th nationally in both total blocks with 68 and total-rebound defense as they limit their opponents to 32.0 rebounds per game.

The Coaches

 Jason Christensen (Dakota Wesleyan University '98) is in his 11th season with the DWU women's basketball squad and reached 200-career victories a season ago in a 73-42 home victory over Mount Marty.

 Brita Hand is in her first season at Briar Cliff University after serving as an assistant at William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa. During her only season with the Statesmen, Hand helped William Penn to a 25-7 record and led them to the NAIA DI National Tournament.

The Series

 The series has been controlled by Dakota Wesleyan, holding a 31-19 record in games played between the schools. The Chargers defeated Dakota Wesleyan 80-63 in the first matchup earlier this season from the Corn Palace.

Scouting the Briar Cliff Chargers

 BCU boasts a 13-7 record overall and is receiving votes in the latest rankings. The Chargers are led by their balanced attack, as they rank fourth nationally in total steals with 248 and are 12th in the country in scoring offense with 1,397 points scored this season.

 Konnor Sudmann leads the charge. She leads Briar Cliff in scoring averaging 14.5 points per game while shooting 40.8% from the field. She also averages six rebounds per game.

 Tickets for the game will not be sold at the gate, but fans can go online and purchase them at https://bcuchargers.com/sports/2020/10/29/Tickets.aspx. Fans can also stream the game at https://bcuchargers.com/watch/?Live=56&type=Live with live stats available at http://www.dakstats.com/Websync/Pages/WebcastPlayByPlay/WebcastPBP.aspx?association=10&sg=MBB&compID=243071&sea=NAIMBB_2020