No. 11 Dakota Wesleyan University 73, No. 24 Concordia University 63 (view stats)
Dakota Wesleyan, ranked No. 11 in the latest NAIA Top 25 Poll, pulled away for a 73-63 men’s basketball victory over No. 24 Concordia on Saturday in Seward. The visiting Tigers improved to 21-5 overall on the season with the win. DWU also improved to 13-2 in conference play and extended its lead in the GPAC standings. Concordia dropped its third straight game to fall to 17-9 overall and 11-4 in GPAC play.
Concordia jumped out to an early 11-6 lead, but Dakota Wesleyan rallied. The Tigers used an 8-0 run to take a 31-21 lead with less than five minutes to play in the opening half. Concordia cut into the lead as the first half came to a close, and a Dustin Weber 3-pointer pulled the Bulldogs within five at 35-30 heading into halftime.
Dakota Wesleyan came out on fire to start the second half. The Tigers used a 13-3 run to open the half to take a 48-34 lead with just over 17 minutes remaining in the contest. However, Concordia wouldn’t go away. The Bulldogs came all the way back, and a three point play by Brandon Schmidt tied the game at 55-55 with just over 10 minutes left to play.
As good teams usually do, DWU answered Concordia’s rally with a rally of its own. The Tigers used a 9-1 run to reclaim advantage in the contest at 64-56. Concordia would get no closer than five the rest of the way, and Dakota Wesleyan settled for the 73-63 victory.
Dakota Wesleyan finished 28-of-55 from the field for 50.9 percent in the win. The Tigers were 7-of-13 from three point range for 53.8 percent, but were just 10-of-19 from the foul line for 52.6 percent. Concordia was just 23-of-65 from the field for 35.4 percent in the loss. The Bulldogs connected on 10-of-26 from long range for 38.5 percent and were just 7-of-14 from the foul line in the loss. Concordia held a 25-7 advantage in bench points and a 42-40 rebounding advantage. Dakota Wesleyan scored 32 points in the paint compared to just 18 for Concordia, and the Tigers held a 10-2 advantage in fast break points.
Preston Broughton had 26 points and nine rebounds to lead the way for DWU. Mitch Bain added 19 points, four assists and three steals for the Tigers. Darrin Dorsey poured in 11 points to go along with a game-high six assists for Dakota Wesleyan.
Tyler Byrd was the only Concordia player to reach double figures with 14 points. Ryan Shrum delivered nine points on three 3-pointers, while Porter Birtell chipped in with eight points and six boards for the Bulldogs.
Concordia hosts Dana College on Feb. 10 at 8 p.m. at the Health, Human Performance and Athletic Center.