Crete, Neb. – Dakota Wesleyan finished off the weekend in stellar fashion and they defeated the Doane Tigers in the second meeting of the “Battle of the Tigers,” 79-70. Jakob Dobney led offense with his 17 points and Samuel Aslesen and Kallan Herman poured in 16 and 13 points respectively. DWU wins their third game in a row and improves their conference record to 8-7. Six DWU athletes scored at least eight points in the matchup as the team shot a smooth 45% from the field.
Highlighted Player – Jakob Dobney – 17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal.
Stat Leaders:
Points – Jakob Dobney (17)
Assists – Randy Rosenquist Jr. (6)
Rebounds – Blaze Lubbers (9)
Blocks – Diang Gatluak (2)
Recap –
It was round two of the “Battle of the Tigers” for the Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball team this afternoon. DWU won the first meeting at home and looked to get the season sweep over Doane. DWU started the contest on fire as Kallan Herman, Randy Rosenquist Jr., and Blaze Lubbers each drilled three-point buckets to open the DWU scoring. After DWU went up by eight after the first seven minutes, Doane went on a short run to knot the score up at 19. DWU’s bench picked up where they left off the night before, as Diang Gatluak entered the game and poured in a quick seven points to get regain the lead for Wesleyan. Gatluak was making his presence known on both ends, using his size to contest several Doane shots and then throw down a put back dunk with less than seven minutes left. DWU’s defense turned into offense, contesting multiple Doane shot attempts and turned the defensive boards into fast break points. Samuel Aslesen was a threat on both ends, he tipped a few shots and was able to outlet the ball to his guards for a pair of assists in the first half. DWU would grab another double-digit lead after Aslenen pulled off his spin towards the base lane for a quick layup with less than two minutes in the half. Doane would grab a pair of buckets to trail DWU 43-37 as the first half buzzer sounded. Dobney and Gatluak led the team with ten and nine points.
DWU opened the second half with a dime pass from Rosenquist to a cutting Herman in the paint for the easy lay-in. Herman kept it going as he cut to the basket two more times for easy buckets to bump the DWU lead out to 51-39. Doane didn’t like what they were seeing and called a timeout with 16:15 on the clock. The Gatluak to Ethan Determan connection was still clicking from yesterday’s win, as Gatluak fed Determan for a wire open corn triple to keep DWU out in front of Doane. The pair had combined for 29 points the night before against Hastings in the road win. The Doane defense was a step behind DWU as they picked up their seventh foul of the half at the 11:40 mark. This would send DWU to the free throw line for the remainder of the game. Gatluak brought the spark back for DWU as he re-entered the game and SWATTED a pair of Doane shot attempts. As the clock ran down into the final three minutes, Doane had cut into DWU’s lead. Dakota Wesleyan found themselves under their own basket with one second left on the shot clock and ran Dobney off some fake screens and Aslenen slipped out to the top of the key and drilled the triple as the clock expired. Doane responded with an and-one layup but missed the free throw. Rosenquist would find Blaze Lubbers open for a shot, but Lubbers left it short before he out hustled everyone on the floor and put his miss back in for two. DWU led 73-65 with 1:23 left before a Doane timeout. Herman continued to sneak around the Doane defense as he scored his 13th point with thirty-two seconds remaining. Even with a few last second prayers going through, Doane was unable to catch up to Dakota Wesleyan as DWU won the Battle of the Tigers 79-70. Four DWU Tigers scored in double figures led by Dobney with 17. Lubbers was one board shy of a double-double and Aslesen needed two boards for a double-double of his own. Gatluak and Determan led the bench with 17 points combined. DWU outrebounded Doane 43-33 in the road win.
Up Next for the Tigers –
DWU will come back to the Corn Palace for a pair of home games. The first one will be on February 7th against Briar Cliff at 7:45 p.m.