Mitchell, S.D. – Jakob Dobney led all scorers in tonight’s home matchup against the Mount Marty University Lancers with 23 points. The Tigers led by 20 points at the break and extended the to 90-66 at the final horn to pick up a GPAC win. DWU shot 55% from the floor in the game and connected on twelve three pointers.
Highlighted Player – Blaze Lubbers 20 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block
Stat Leaders:
Points – Jakob Dobney (23)
Assists – Jakob Dobney (7)
Rebounds – Blaze Lubbers, Diang Gatluak (5)
Steals – Randy Rosenquist Jr. (2)
Recap – The Tigers opened the first half with a 12-2 run over the Lancers spearheaded by two three-points by Samuel Aslesen and a pair of layups by Dobney. Dakota Wesleyan ran a fast-paced offense with plenty of cuttings and ball screens. Dobney attacked the rim relentlessly, getting his teammates open or drawing the fouls against Mount Marty. Dobney shot a smooth five of seven in the first half and made both of his free throws to have 13 points. Diang Gatluak scored his first points of the season in the first half of the game after being sidelined by injury. Gatluak made both of his free throws in the first half and pulled down five rebounds in only 10 minutes of play in the first half. With less than nine minutes left to play, the Tigers looked to extend their 10-point lead as they led 23-13. Dobney started a 7-2 run all on his own as he drilled a three, made a slick jump shot, and then went coast to coast in three consecutive possessions. As DWU’s lead kept building, more Tigers got in on the action. Kallan Herman and Oliver Vincent scored the last five points as the Tigers closed out the first half with a 42-22 lead. The Tigers shot a stellar 53% in the fist half and held the Lancers to only nine made field goals.
As the two teams came back for the second half, the Lancers went on the attack. MMU outscored the Tigers in the 26-15 and cut the DWU lead to just nine points. In that run, the Lancers made ten of twelve field goals. The Tigers did everything they could on defense, but the Lancers had the shooters touch as several of those second half shots rolled or bounced around the rim and fell through the net. Blaze Lubbers was the answer that the Tigers were looking for in the second half. Lubbers would score 18 second half points after being held to a single bucket in the first half. As it looked like the Lancers were going to make a comeback, the Tigers and Lubbers went on a run to get the lead back out to 20 plus points. Lubbers made his first three-pointer of the night with 9:56 remaining on the scoreboard and made it a 62-50 ball game. Blaze would drill three more triples, one of them giving the Tigers a 22-point lead. Dobney kept doing his thing and attacked the rim and went to the charity stripe for six free points in the second half. As the time ticked away, the Lancers called off their starters and rotated in their bench into the game. DWU had extended their lead to 25 points before Coach Wilber pulled his starters and gave the bench a chance to score. DWU would win the GPAC game 90-66 and improve their record to 7-6 overall. The Tigers shot 58% in the second half and out rebounded the Lancers 33-26 in the match.
Up Next for the Tigers –
The Tigers travel to Forest City, Iowa for a non-conference matchup with Waldorf. The squad will hit the road on December 16th and tipoff at 3:00 p.m.