Sioux Center, Iowa – The Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball team was unable to make a comeback against the Dordt Defenders on the road and lost 96-83. DWU drilled 13 three-point shots in the game and shot 42% from the floor. Samuel Aslesen led with 16 points and Jakob Dobney followed right behind him with 14 points.
Highlighted Player – Samuel Aslesen 16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks
Stat Leaders:
Points – Samuel Aslesen (16)
Assists – Jakob Dobney (5)
Rebounds – Samuel Aslesen (9)
Blocks – Samuel Aslesen (2)
Recap – The Tigers looked to get their second win in a row after upsetting the Mustangs last week. Randy Rosenquist Jr. got DWU on the board with a triple after the Tigers went scoreless for the first three minutes of play. Samuel Aslesen would tie it up with a jump shot at five apiece before the Tiger would go on a scoring drought. It was a cold first half for both teams to open the half as the two teams only combined for 23 points halfway through the opening period. Ethan Determan came off the bench and drilled a triple after a Kallan Herman layup to cut the Defenders lead to one possession with nine minutes left in the game. Dordt was able to stretch their lead back out to five points before Determan and Aslesen found the bottom of the net with a pair of two-point buckets. The Tigers kept it close throughout the first half and had a chance to take the lead in the closing seconds, but Oliver Vincent‘s three pointer rolled out and Dordt had the three-point lead going into the break. DWU’s offense wasn’t afraid of shooting the ball in the first half and had put up 18 three-point attempts in the first 20 minutes and converted on four of them to keep them in this game.
Dordt came out of the break and got on a quick 11-2 run after Aslesen tied it up at 35-35. Rosenquist would put in two free throws before the Defenders went on their run. The Tigers offense looked to Jakob Dobney in the second half to get them back in the game. Dobney would start finding his shot as he scored three baskets early in the second half, but Dordt still had the double-digit lead. The Defenders got out to their biggest lead of the game, 14 points with less than nine minutes remaining. After a mass substitution, Blaze Lubbers, Nick Wittler, and Herman hit three triples in back-to-back-to-back possessions before Dordt would call a timeout. The Tigers kept making big three-point shots, but Dordt was able to answer with layups on the other end to hold onto their double-digit lead. The Tigers would start fouling in the final minute, but the Defenders were able to make free throws and Rosenquist was only able to make one three-pointer before the buzzer. DWU would lose this conference battle 96-83. Aslesen led the team in scoring and rebounds with 16 and nine. The Tigers made 13 three pointers in the contest.
Up Next for the Tigers – The Tigers are back on the road this weekend at Mount Marty University. The game is set for January 20th with tipoff at 3:45 pm.