MADISON, S.D. — No. 14 Dakota Wesleyan Women’s Basketball faced the in-state, out-of-conference rival Dakota State Trojans, who entered the contest ranked fourth in the NAIA.
The top-15 matchup saw both squads find points early, with Dakota State finding a bit more success out of the first, taking a 25-18 lead after 10 minutes of play. The Tigers were led on the scoring front by Emma Yost, who posted 15 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals, and reigning GPAC Offensive Player of the Week Rylee Rosenquist, who contributed 14 points of her own alongside five boards and two assists. Dakota Wesleyan found consistent scoring, but Dakota State would take advantage of more offensive opportunities to get points on the board to stay one to two possessions ahead of the Tigers.
Defensively, the reigning GPAC Defensive Player of the Week, Avery Broughton, posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and was only passed on the boards by Shalayne Nagel, who tied her career high from last season with 12 rebounds alongside six points on the scoring front. While the DWU defense slowed down DSU in the second period, the Tiger offense was also slowed down, leading to the Trojans heading into the locker room at the half with the lead, 38-27.
The Trojans and Tigers were scoring evenly out of the break and for the rest of the contest, but Dakota State’s extended lead at the half kept them at arm’s length from Dakota Wesleyan for the remainder of the game. The Tigers were still able to string together a few solid scoring runs, with Jaida Young fueling the offensive effort with a team-leading eight assists and five steals, alongside six points, to round out the starting rotation.
Maleighya Estes put up six points and five boards off the bench, and Avery Orth added four points in just a few minutes of play, but the added efforts were not quite enough to pull Dakota Wesleyan back ahead of the Trojans for the rest of the contest. Dakota State claimed the win, 74-62. DWU outshot DSU from the field, 37.7% to 35.4%, but eight more made three-pointers tipped the contest in favor of the Trojans.
DWU Women’s Basketball will be back in action against the ninth-ranked Concordia Bulldogs on Saturday, December 6th, at 2:00 PM down in Seward.