MITCHELL, S.D. – In the final weekend of Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) action, three Dakota Wesleyan University players eclipsed double figures, and the (RV) Dakota Wesleyan University women's basketball program concluded the regular-season finale with a 71-67 victory over conference challenger Concordia University on Saturday from the Corn Palace.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Dakota Wesleyan opened the game attacking the basket and engineered a 6-0 spurt to begin the first quarter. Senior point guard Kaylee Kirk initiated the scoring with a jump shot off a pass from Rynn Osthus. Meanwhile, a pair of steals by Matti Reiner continued the DWU momentum as Osthus knocked down a pair of free throws.
The Tigers (23-7, 15-7 GPAC) ended the night 20-of-22 (90.9%) from the free-throw line while defensively, the Blue and Gray notched six steals in the game. Unphased, Concordia rattled of four-straight points to pull within two, however, DWU extended its advantage to 11-4 midway through the first period. Reiner, who scored a game-high 21 points, drained a 3-pointer and Kirk followed with a field goal of her own.
Kirk and the Dakota Wesleyan offense used a 10-5 run to close out the first stanza, and the Tigers led CUNE, 21-9 at the end of the opening frame. DWU dished out 20 assists in the outing including a team-high five assists from the 5-foot-5 Balaton, Minn., native.
Isabel Ihnen opened the second frame with another Tiger 3-pointer as head coach Jason Christensen and company registered nine made triples in the contest. Kirk and Ihnen continued the hot streak from beyond the arc at the 6:20 mark of the quarter while DWU pushed its benefit to 30-15. Yet, the Bulldogs (16-12, 13-9 GPAC) trimmed the lead back to single-digits, 36-27, with under 90 seconds to play.
Concordia won the second quarter, 20-15, though DWU still maintained a 36-29 edge at the intermission.
Free throws by Jada Campbell extended the Tiger advantage back to double-digits, 40-30, at the 7:33 mark of the third quarter. Concordia answered with a 10-4 spurt as the Bulldogs forced several turnovers and converted a string of baskets in transition. Both teams continued to answer the bell until another 3-pointer off the release from Kirk granted DWU a five-point lead with under a minute to play in the third quarter.
Kirk finished the game 5-of-16 from the field as she registered 15 points along with seven rebounds. With 10 minutes left to play, the Tigers clung to a slight 53-50 advantage.
A field goal by Reiner to begin the fourth quarter pushed Dakota Wesleyan out to an initial five-point lead, though CUNE matched the score at 55-55 at the 6:18 mark. Sophomore guard Aspen Hansen broke the tie with an ensuing triple while DWU led 62-57 with under five minutes to play.
Concordia used a 3-pointer of its own to take a short-lived, 65-64 lead down the stretch. However, Dakota Wesleyan reeled off a 7-3 finish thanks to multiple free-throws, and the Tigers held on for the slight, 71-67 home victory. With the win, DWU concludes the regular-season campaign with a 10-3 record at home.
Campbell and Reiner paced DWU with nine rebounds each while the Tigers outrebounded the Bulldogs 41-33. Ihnen, meanwhile chipped in 15 points along with a 4-of-4 performance from the charity stripe. Defensively, Dakota Wesleyan sparked 11 CUNE turnovers along with five blocks.
UP NEXT
Dakota Wesleyan returns to the court next in postseason play as the Tigers secured the No. 3 seed in the 2022 GPAC tournament. DWU is set to host No. 6 seed Concordia University at 7 p.m. on Wednesday evening from the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D.
