Mitchell, SD – DWU men’s hoops opened their season at home in the Corn Palace, hosting the Trojans of Dakota State University. Going back and forth with nine lead changes and eight ties, the Tigers used their tough defense to force 18 turnovers and block nine shots to pull away with the win. Jakob Dobney poured in a game high 21 points and grabbed six rebounds. Samuel Aslesen was a force on defense as he blocked five shots and grabbed six rebounds to go along with his 12 points. All five starters for the Tigers would score in double figures and combine for 28 of the 39 rebounds.
Highlighted Player – Blaze Lubbers – 11 points, 6 rebounds, three assists, and two blocks
Stat Leaders:
Points – Jakob Dobney (21)
Assists – Randy Rosenquist Jr. (6)
Rebounds – Randy Rosenquist Jr. (8)
Blocks – Samuel Aslesen (5)
Recap
The Tigers went to work this afternoon as they faced Dakota State University in the season opener. After getting the first game jitters out, Jakob Dobney would put the Tigers on the board two minutes into the contest. Both teams would trade blows, neither being able to grab a lead of more than three points throughout the first ten minutes of the game. With eight minutes remaining, the Tiger turned up intensity and came to life. Blaze Lubbers would come back in after a quick breather to block two Trojan layups in back-to-back defensive plays and put back his own miss to take a one-point lead with seven minutes remaining. The Trojans brought their own heat as well, running a fast moving 2-3 zone and applying the pressure with a 2-2-1 press to force the Tigers to turn the ball over six times in the first half. Dakota State went on a 10-2 run after being down 7 with four minutes remaining to grab the one-point lead as the teams left for halftime.
After only scoring one bucket and grabbing one rebound in the first twenty minutes of play, Samuel Aslesen went to work as he scored a quick 3-pointer to open the second half and take back the lead. Before the Trojans could go on a big run after going up four at the eighteen-minute mark, Coach Wilber called a timeout to calm the team down and refocus. As the Tigers came out of the timeout, Dobney would hit a quick three to make it a one possession game. Both teams traded blows, with the Trojans barely holding onto that one possession lead. DWU forced a couple Trojan turnovers and Dobney was able to knot up the score once again at 57 apiece with a smooth jumper before the Tigers called another timeout with 8:35 left on the clock. The Tiger squad decided enough was enough at this point and came out blazing. Kallan Herman would score a quick two to grab the lead and the Tiger defense forced a turnover on the other end, resulting in an Aslesen triple. The Tigers would force three more turnovers in the final eight minutes and scored off each of those turnovers in their big run. Aslesen played a huge role in the second as he scored ten points, grabbed five boards, and blocked four shots. DWU would go on to outscore Dakota State 25-10 to secure the 82-67 victory. Dobney poured in 19 second half points after shooting 1-4 from the field in the first half. He would shoot an impressive 7-13 from the field and bang three triples in the second half and dropped in a pair of charity stripe shots.
Up Next
Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball will be back in action at the Corn Palace on Saturday November 4th as they host the University of Saint Mary with tipoff schedule for 5 P.M.