BISMARCK, N.D. — Dakota Wesleyan Men’s Basketball traveled north to face Bismarck State for the second contest of this year’s home-and-home series against the Mystics.
The first few minutes of the contest saw both teams scrap for points, but DWU’s presence in the paint and early scoring efficiency helped put them in control about halfway through the first half. The Tigers outscored the Mystics in the paint 40-14, thanks to the offensive efforts of multiple players. Steele Morgan was able to get to work towards the basket, posting 15 total points and helping the Tigers take an early advantage.
Meanwhile, Anthony Riggans set a new career scoring high, leading the team with 21 total points, alongside seven rebounds. The effort on the glass was well-balanced, with Randy Rosenquist Jr. posting six boards in the starting rotation, while Andrew Younan led the Tigers in total rebounds from the bench with eight overall. The Tigers were able to keep the pace up throughout the entire first half, jumping out to a 50-36 lead at the break off the back of an impressive overall shooting day, which saw Dakota Wesleyan post 36 total made field goals to Bismarck State’s 20. Efficiency-wise, DWU outpaced BSC 48.6% from the field to 37.7%.
Four total starters ended up posting double-digit scoring efforts, with Tyson Stevenson posting 19 points for the Tigers on 6-12 (50%) shooting from the field and an impressive 5-8 (62.5%) clip from three. Rosenquist Jr. added 15 points to go along with his rebounding efforts, while he and Easton Neuendorf contributed eight assists each to the final tally to help move the ball around and get the offense into prime scoring positions.
CJ Banks led the team off the bench in scoring with eight total points, while multiple Tigers saw playing time off the bench as DWU continued to extend its lead late into the game. Dakota Wesleyan was able to add 47 more points to the board while limiting the Mystics to just 22 second-half points, eventually claiming the victory, 97-58.
DWU Men’s Basketball will be back in action against the Midland Warriors down in Nebraska on Saturday, January 3rd, at 3:45 PM.