November 9, 2013
MITCHELL, S.D. – The Dakota State University men's basketball played its second NAIA 'Top 25' battle Saturday afternoon on the second day of the Dakota Wesleyan/Fulton State Bank Classic at the Corn Palace. The Trojans, ranked No. 18 in the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Coaches' preseason poll, were defeated by No. 19 Bellevue (Neb.) 85-73.
Dakota State, who played their third game in four days, dropped their overall record to 3-1. Bellevue improved their overall record to 4-1.
The Trojans started the game by scoring five straight points in the first 48 seconds to earn a 5-0 lead. The Bruins answered back with a 6-0 run to earn their first lead at 6-5 with 17:56 left in the first-half.
Both teams would tie or trade leads for the next four minutes. With DSU leading at 12-11, Bellevue went on 12-3 scoring run to gain a 23-15 lead with less than 10 minutes remaining before halftime.
Dakota State could get no closer than four points on two occasions in the first-half at 25-21 with 7:19 left and 26-22 with 7:09 remaining.
The Bruins closed the first-half with a 23-13 run to gain a 49-35 halftime advantage.
Bellevue went 19-for-38 from the field (50 percent) in the first-half compared to the Trojans' 12-for-27 (44.4 percent). Both teams made four 3-pointers and seven free-throws.
BU held their lead for the rest of the second-half to secure the victory.
DSU trimmed their deficit by six points at 68-62 with 8:22 remaining, but the Bruins closed the game by outscoring the Trojans 17-11.
Bellevue shot 56.5 percent from the field (13-for-23) in the second-half, while DSU was 51.7 percent from the field (15-for-29).
Adam Hofer led the Trojans with 21 points. He was 8-for-15 from the field, including 3-for-7 from the 3-point arc. Dylan Hale added 16 points. Seth Cavanaugh scored 12 points off the bench on his 5-for-10 shooting from the field and 2-for-4 from the 3-point line. Yusuf Vinson had 11 points.
Jordan Snyder had seven points and four rebounds off the bench for DSU. Hale had five rebounds and dished out four assists.
Hofer recorded three steals for the Trojans.
Given Kalipinde scored a game-high 23 points for BU. He was 9-for-11 from the field and converted four free-throws in five attempts. Taylor Young added 21 points on his 9-for-13 shooting from the field. Thomas Hammock drained four 3-pointers to earn 12 points off the bench. Russell Droll had 10 points.
Kalipinde grabbed eight rebounds for Bellevue. He had six steals. Young recorded five assists.
BU shot 32-for-61 overall from the field (52.5 percent) compared to the Trojans' 27-for-56 (48.2 percent). The Bruins made 16 free-throws in 21 attempts (76.2 percent), while DSU was 12-for-20 from the free-throw line (60 percent).
Bellevue outrebounded the Trojans 36-30.
Both teams will play their second meeting on Jan. 8, 2014 in Bellevue, Neb.
Dakota State looks to bounce back in the winning column on Wednesday night. The Trojans return back to the Corn Palace for the third straight time as they face their long-time rival Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.). Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. in Mitchell, S.D.
Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director
