MITCHELL, S.D. — No. 9 Dakota Wesleyan Women’s Basketball hosted the Waldorf Warriors in a GPAC showdown at the Corn Palace.
The Tigers were able to jump out to an early advantage thanks to the efforts of Emma Yost off the bat, as she scored 10 points within the first eight minutes of play. Yost would go on to post 20 points on 9-12 (75%) shooting from the field. Early boards favored Dakota Wesleyan as well, with Shalayne Nagel and Avery Broughton dominating the glass and combining for 10 total rebounds by the end of the game. Waldorf was able to find some early seams in the DWU defense, but the Tigers were able to extend their lead to 24-11 by the end of the first period.
Steals from Maleighya Estes and Jaida Young snagged steals that led to fastbreak points to extend the Tigers’ lead to 24-11 after one period of play. Young went on to record 11 points while recording a team-leading six assists alongside three steals. DWU’s lead ballooned to 33-11 within the first couple of minutes of the second to force a timeout from the visiting bench, but the quick break was not able to shake the Tigers’ momentum, pushing the lead out to 52-16 by the end of the half. Estes continued her impressive effort off the bench with a handful of converted jumpshots and three-pointers as she blazed her way to a double-digit scoring effort, ending the game with 14 points on a 5-7 (71.4%) clip from the field.
The Tigers continued to showcase Yost and Estes as the team’s main scorers for the game, while the rest of the lineup was able to support with a well-rounded effort. Rylee Rosenquist surged in the second half and was able to post 11 points, alongside four rebounds and four steals, while reigning GPAC Defender of the Week Broughton ended the contest with four points of her own. Nagel also ended up posting a double-digit scoreline with 10 total points.
The Tigers saw their offensive production continue while holding the Warriors to just 19 points in the entire second half, taking advantage of turnovers to record 21 fast break points and convert on 61.8% of their total attempts from the field. More Tigers off the bench were able to make contributions, as Taliyah Hayes posted seven points, Lizzie Pavlis recorded six, and Isabelle Ellwein added five points of her own to the final scoreline. The Tigers were able to cruise to a 97-35 victory as the ninth-ranked team in the NAIA extended its win streak to eight games.
DWU Men’s Basketball will be back in action on Sunday against the 10th-ranked Concordia Bulldogs in a conference doubleheader at the Corn Palace on Wednesday, January 14th, at 2:00 PM.