November 3, 2018

Photos credit by Karen Giles

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Nationally-ranked Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) held Dakota State (S.D.) to two points in the final three-plus minutes, pulling away for a 77-65 victory to conclude the first day of the South Dakota/NAIA Basketball at Sanford Pentagon.  The Tigers drained a total of 13 3-pointers in the game.

Dakota State fell to 0-3 overall record.  Dakota Wesleyan, ranked No. 17 in the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 national poll, is 2-0 overall record.

The Trojans scored the game's first six points for a 6-0 lead with 18 minutes and six seconds on the clock.  DSU scored on three lay-ups (one by Josh McGreal and a pair by Justin Folkers).  The Tigers, however, answered back by scoring six straight to knot the game at 6-6 with 17:17 left in the first-half.

With DSU leading 10-9, the Tigers used a 19-6 scoring run to earn the biggest lead of the game at 28-16 with 8:28 left before halftime. 

Trailing by eight points at 34-26, Folkers scored five straight points as DSU trimmed their deficit to 34-31 with 1:29 left in the first-half.

A pair of free-throws by Aaron Ahmadu put DWU up 36-31 by halftime.

Dakota Wesleyan shot 48.1 percent from the field in the first twenty minutes of the game (13-of-27 field goals), including 7-of-16 from the 3-point arc.  Dakota State was 15-of-33 field goals (45.5 percent).

McGreal nailed down a pair of lay-ups followed by a 3-pointer by Cody Muilenburg, sparking a 7-0 Trojans' scoring run to trim DWU's lead to 50-48 with 12:13 remaining.

The Tigers regained their double-digit lead at 63-53 with 8:11 left.  Down 67-57, Folkers scored six straight points to reduce their deficit down to 67-63 with 3:16 on the clock.

DWU answered by scoring five straight points for 72-63 lead and never looked back.  Dakota Wesleyan closed the game with a 10-2 run.

The Tigers shot 48.3 percent from the field (14-of-29) in the second-half compared to the Trojans' 14-of-31 field goals (45.2 percent). 

Folkers led DSU with 20 points on his 9-of-17 field goal shooting.  McGreal added 19 points from his 8-of-11 field goals.  Keeon Johnson scored nine points.  Anthony Costello tallied eight points off the bench.

Folkers grabbed nine rebounds for Dakota State.  McGreal tallied seven rbounds.  Johnson had six rebounds.  Muilenburg registered two blocked shots.

Johnson dished out four assists for the Trojans.  Johnson and Carson Rentz each stole the ball once.

Ty Hoglund scored 22 points (8-of-15 field goals) and recorded three steals for DWU.  Samuel McCloud added 20 points.  Nate Davis had 12 points off the bench.  Nick Harden had 1 points and five assists.

McCloud pulled down seven rebounds for the Tigers.  Collin Kramer had two blocks.

DWU shot 48.2 percent from the field (27-of-56) compared to DSU 45.3 percent (29-of-64).  The Tigers went 13-of-30 from the 3-point arc (43.3 percent), while the Trojans were 4-of-14 3-pointers.

Dakota Wesleyan went to the free-throw line 15 times, making 10 free-throws (66.7 percent).  Dakota State was 3-of-5 free-throws.

DSU outrebounded DWU 37-29 in the game.  The Trojans outscored the Tigers 44-28 inside the paint.

Dakota State heads back to the Sanford Pentagon Sunday afternoon for another contest in the South Dakota/NAIA Basketball Classic.  DSU takes on Mount Marty (S.D.) with a tip-off at 2 p.m.

Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director