SIOUX CENTER, Iowa – The (RV) Dakota Wesleyan University women's basketball program held conference foe No. 21 Dordt University to 35.3% shooting on the afternoon and a staggering 1-of-16 from beyond the arc, and Dakota Wesleyan punched its ticket to the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) championship game with a commanding 69-59 victory on Saturday afternoon from De Witt Gymnasium in Sioux Center, Iowa. Center Jada Campbell notched a team-high 20 points while DWU induced 11 Dordt turnovers.
It was the Dakota Wesleyan offense though that pushed the Tigers (25-7, 15-7 GPAC) out to the quick start in the first quarter. Campbell, the 6-foot-4 center, scored four-straight points as the Alexandria, S.D., native finished 9-of-18 from the floor and registered her second-consecutive 20-point performance. Junior guard Rynn Osthus followed with a basket at the rim, and DWU managed a 12-6 lead at the 5:31 mark of the first frame.
DOR, led in scoring by Karly Gustafson with a game-high 30 points, responded with a made jump shot in the point. Unphased, the Blue and Gray opened up a double-digit, 10-point lead thanks to an 8-2 run to close the stanza. Natalie Gottlob converted near the rim, and Matti Reiner capped the momentum with a jump shot while the Tigers led 20-10.
DWU's offensive spurge continued into the second period thanks to a 3-pointer by Isabel Ihnen, and Dakota Wesleyan scored the first six points of the quarter. The Defenders (24-8, 16-6 GPAC), who now faced a 16-point deficit, were forced to burn a timeout. The Tigers, as an offensive unit, shot 4-of-9 (44.4%) from the three-point line on the afternoon.
Out of the break, Dordt slowly cut into the margin and pulled to within eight points, 26-18 at the 7:13 mark of the second stanza. Free throws by Reiner along with a defensive block by Osthus stunted the DOR momentum momentarily.
Head coach Jason Christensen's unit pushed its lead back to double-digits, 30-20, midway through the frame. Senior point guard Kaylee Kirk knocked down consecutive field goals down the stretch, and the Tigers countered a second offensive surge by DOR to close the half. Kirk also finished in double figures with 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds while Dakota Wesleyan favored a 35-29 advantage at the intermission.
An old-fashioned 3-point play by Dordt to open the third quarter narrowed the lead to three points to begin the second half. The Blue and Gray rattled off the next four points before a 3-pointer by Aspen Hansen off the assist from Campbell granted Dakota Wesleyan another double-digit benefit. The Tigers led 48-36 with 3:57 remaining and rolled to a 19-13 advantage to win the period.
Hansen, the sophomore guard from Dell Rapids, S.D., kicked off the fourth quarter with another Dakota Wesleyan 3-point basket. Back-to-back buckets meanwhile by Campbell helped the Tigers fend off a comeback by the Defenders, and Dakota Wesleyan sealed the 10-point, 69-59 semifinal victory. With the win, DWU embarks on its first conference championship game appearance since the 2018-19 campaign and collects its 25th win of the season.
Reiner, the third Tiger to score 10-or-more points, recorded 13 points and seven rebounds as the Dakota Wesleyan offense shot 45.9% in the outing. On the glass, Dordt won the rebounding battle, 41-35, however, DWU dished out 14 assists and secured four steals.
UP NEXT
Dakota Wesleyan faces conference opponent and top-seeded No. 6 Morningside University in the GPAC championship game at 7 p.m. on Tuesday evening from the Rosen Verdoorn Sports Center in Sioux City, Iowa.