SIOUX CENTER, Iowa — No. 14 Dakota Wesleyan Women’s Basketball traveled south to take on the top team in the country in the Dordt Defenders in Wednesday night GPAC action.
Both teams were able to find early scoring success as Dordt put up 29 points in the first period to Dakota Wesleyan’s 22, and while the Defenders took the initial scoring advantage, the Tigers were able to keep pace through the contest.
DWU was led by starter Avery Broughton and Taliyah Hayes off the bench, both posting 16 points, alongside combining for seven rebounds and five assists. Hayes shot 6-11 (54.5%) from the field and an impressive 4-6 (66.7%) from three. Six of Broughton’s points came in the first period and were matched in the first 10 minutes by Jaida Young, who ended up recording 10 points and led the team with seven rebounds on her own. Avery Orth was a major contributor off the bench as well, posting 15 points in just 11 minutes on the court, along with four boards.
The offensive output pushed the Tigers to 20 points in the second period, but the Defenders still took the lead into halftime, 48-42. Dakota Wesleyan kept pace on three-point shooting efficiency, connecting on 38.1% to Dordt’s 38.9%, but fouls played a big role in the contest as it continued, as Dordt ended up receiving 26 free throw attempts to DWU’s nine.
The Tigers caught fire in the third out of the break, taking a 64-59 lead with under four minutes remaining in the period, with Orth posting seven of her points to push DWU back into the lead. Emma Yost posted six points in a supporting effort, along with Shalayne Nagel, who posted seven points, three rebounds, and three assists, and their efforts added to the team’s scoring surge. Rylee Rosenquist also contributed with 11 total points, four rebounds, four assists, and a steal for good measure.
Dordt, however, would respond by closing up the lead towards the end of the period, and fully reclaim it 72-71 with just under six minutes to go in the contest. For the Tigers, Hayes took over in the fourth, with half of her points occurring in the final 10 minutes, but the Defenders were able to heat back up on offense to retake control of the game late. Made jump shots down the stretch, kept the game within a possession or two, but Dordt was ultimately able to pull away with an 86-81 win over DWU.
Dakota Wesleyan would go 33-68 overall from the field (48.5%) while Dordt operated at a 29-55 (52.7%) clip.
DWU Women’s Basketball will be back in action on Saturday, December 13th, at the Corn Palace against College of Saint Mary (Neb.) at 2:00 PM.