MITCHELL, S.D. — No. 9 Dakota Wesleyan Women’s Basketball opened its regular season slate against the Bismarck State Mystics at the Corn Palace.
The Tigers got to work quickly in front of the home crowd. Emma Yost was one of the leading scorers out of the gate, scoring the first two buckets of the game for DWU, and ended the contest with 15 total points, six rebounds, four assists, and a block. The presence of Shalayne Nagel was undeniable as she got to work in the paint and put up 10 points in the first half, and ended up scoring 17 points by the end of the contest while going 7-10 from the field. Avery Broughton was also a major contributor, going a perfect 3-3 from the field in the first half and ending the contest with a scoreline of 17 points, three blocks, an assist, and a steal to tie Nagel’s position atop the stat sheet.
The trio of scorers helped propel the Tigers to an 11-4 lead after the first period, and followed it up with 23 points in the second to extend their lead to 34-13 at the half. The offense was paced by Jaida Young, who led the team in assists with seven, and put the Tigers in great scoring position from the field.
The second half saw Dakota Wesleyan’s momentum continue with a plethora of Tigers getting involved in the action. DWU was led on the boards by Maleighya Estes, who posted nine rebounds in 19 minutes of play. Nagel and Broughton continued their well-rounded efforts with a combined eight rebounds, while Avery Orth was an asset in the paint, putting up eight boards of her own. Rylee Rosenquist got involved off the bench, adding eight total points to the tally alongside four boards, three assists, and three steals.
The Mystics saw more offensive production out of the half, but the Tiger defense settled in to slow them back down in the final 10 minutes of competition. The Tigers held the Mystics to just 16-61 (26.2%) from the field and 7-34 (20.6%) from beyond the arc throughout the contest. A 58-28 lead at the end of the third period opened up the floor for other contributors to see playing time, including Ryan Hanssen, who contributed four points, and Ella Griffin, who chipped in a basket of her own. The Tigers shot 33-74 (44.6%) from the field in what concluded as an 81-43 victory over the Mystics.
DWU Women’s Basketball will be back in action against the 13th-ranked MidAmerica Nazarene Pioneers on the road on Friday, November 7th, at 2:00 PM as a part of the Cattle Classic down in Seward, Nebraska.