ORANGE CITY, IOWA – In a clash atop the Great Plains Athletic Conference standings, the Dakota Wesleyan University women's basketball program extended its conference winning streak to six games as Dakota Wesleyan raced past No. 13 Northwestern College, 69-57, on Saturday afternoon from the Bultman Center in Orange City, Iowa.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Dakota Wesleyan, who looked to jump out to another quick start, rattled off the first six points of the contest. Senior Jada Campbell scored four-straight points while Matti Reiner answered with a jumper of her own after a defensive rebound. Northwestern cut the DWU advantage to three points, however, point guard Kaylee Kirk helped push the Tiger (14-2, 6-2 GPAC) lead to nine points, 16-7, late in the opening frame.
The Blue and Gray, who possessed a double-digit lead at the end of the first period, continued the offensive momentum into the second quarter. Isabel Ihnen and Rynn Osthus opened with ensuing layups while a 3-pointer from Aspen Hansen extended the DWU advantage to 17 points midway through the stanza. Hansen and company shot 45.6% from the floor on the afternoon as the lead steadied at double-digits in favor of the Tigers down the stretch.
NWC, who finished 12-of-21 from the free-throw line meanwhile, momentarily pulled to within 10 points, 35-25, after multiple free throws with under five minutes to play until halftime. Yet, the Dakota Wesleyan defense locked down holding the Raiders (13-3, 5-3 GPAC) scoreless in the final four minutes while Reiner and Lacey Sprakel added layups late in the first half.
Sprakel, the 5-foot-10 freshman forward, led Dakota Wesleyan with 10 points at the intermission, and the Tigers controlled a 39-25 lead at halftime.
Campbell, who finished with a team-high 16 points and seven rebounds, scored four-straight points early in the third quarter, including a finish off a dish from Ihnen, and DWU forced Northwestern to burn a timeout. Out of the break, NWC conducted a 6-0 run to pull within eight points, 43-35. Natalie Gottlob followed with a pair of free throws to push the score back to double digits, though Dakota Wesleyan carried a 50-42 edge into the final period.
A steal by Kirk early in the fourth quarter led to an offensive layup by Ihnen as the Balaton, Minn., senior now sits with over 500 points and rebounds in her career. The scoring opportunity capped off a 13-2 run spanning nearly four minutes to start the final frame and granted DWU yet another double-digit lead, 63-44.
Jump shots by Campbell and Grace Fryda late denied any chance for a comeback by Northwestern, and the Tigers held on for the road victory, 69-57. The win gives Dakota Wesleyan not only its sixth-straight GPAC win, but also extends DWU's regular-season winning streak to 11 victories.
A trio of Tigers finished in double figures including Reiner with 11 points and eight rebounds. Kirk chipped in eight points on 4-of-8 shooting including three steals while DWU outrebounded NWC, 44-35. Defensively, Dakota Wesleyan forced 13 turnovers and collected six steals.
UP NEXT
Head coach Jason Christensen, and the Tigers return to the court next with their first home game in nearly a month with a matchup versus No. 23 Briar Cliff University at 6 p.m. on Wednesday from the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D.