January 20, 2023

La CROSSE, Wis. – Viterbo (Wis.) stole the ball with less than 10 seconds in the game and followed up with the game-winning layup for a 61-60 North Star Athletic Association men's basketball victory Friday evening at R.W. Beggs Gymnasium.  The Trojans, despite a career-high 29 points from Ben Hoverson, were unable to score on the final possession as they fell short to the league's second place team.

Dakota State is 8-12 overall record and 2-4 NSAA conference record.  Viterbo improved to 11-8 overall record and 5-1 record in the league.

DSU concludes their North Star's four-game road trip Saturday evening at Hanson Fieldhouse, visiting Waldorf (Iowa).  The game is set for 5 p.m. in Forest City, Iowa, as they wrap up their first half portion of the North Star basketball schedule.

Viterbo (Wis.) 61, Dakota State (S.D.) 60 – FINAL

• Viterbo kicked off the game with an 8-2 scoring run, capped by Jack Monis' jump shot with fifteen minutes, three seconds on the clock.  The Trojans snapped their scoring drought with 16:07 on the clock after a pair of free-throws from Hoverson (DSU trailed 6-2).
• Ethan Damerum kicked off DSU's 13-0 monstrous scoring run with a layup, followed by 3-pointers from Hoverson (back-to-back) and Sam Muller.  Ronnie Latting capped the scoring outburst with a layup for Dakota State 15-8 lead with 12:23 on the clock.
• The Trojans held the V-Hawks scoreless for seven-plus minutes until 7:48 left on the clock in the first half.  Colin Adams snapped VU's scoring drought with a layup as Viterbo trailed 15-10.
• Viterbo kept Dakota State scoreless for nine-plus minutes, allowing the V-Hawks to use a 7-0 scoring run to knot the game at 15-15.
• Ethan Slaathaug made a layup (assisted by Gavyn Strand) as Dakota State ended their scoring drought, leading 17-15 with 3:28 to go before intermission.
• Chris Morales closed the low scoring affair in the first half with a layup as the Trojans held a 27-24 lead.
• DSU was 10-of-25 from the field (40 percent), including 5-of-13 from the 3-point arc in the first twenty minutes.  VU was held to 33.3 percent from the field (11-of-33 field goals) and 2-of-10 3-pointers.
• Robert Cunitz sparked Viterbo's 8-0 run by scoring the first six points of the second half, regaining their lead at 32-27 after Dakota Mannel's layup with 18:25 on the clock.
• Hoverson answered with back-to-back 3-pointers to give DSU a 36-34 lead with 16:09 remaining.
• The Trojans and the V-Hawks battled back and forth for nearly 12 minutes, with a lead no greater than four points by Viterbo.
• Leading 55-54, the V-Hawks went on a 4-0 run to stretch their lead to 59-54 with 3:10 left.
• However drained a 3-pointer followed by Slaathaug's layup knotted the game at 59-59 with less than two minutes to go in the game.
• Damerum added a free-throw with 57 seconds left as DSU held a slim 60-59 lead.
• The V-Hawks committed a turnover on the next possession, regaining possession for the Trojans.
• DSU committed a turnover with less than 10 seconds to go, where Ben Olson stole the ball followed by a layup by Monis to give VU a 61-60 lead with less than five seconds to go.
• Dakota State missed a potential game-winning 3-point shot as time expired, falling short to Viterbo.
• VU outscored DSU 37-33 in the second half.  The V-Hawks were 13-of-26 from the field (50 percent) and hit 9-of-11 from the free-throw line.  The Trojans were 41.4 percent (12-of-29 field goals) and 4-of-6 free-throws.
• Hoverson finished the game by going 10-of-16 from the field, including 7-of-11 from the 3-point line for Dakota State.  Damerum added six points, six assists, six rebounds, and four blocked shots.  Muller had six points and grabbed eight rebounds.
• Slaathaug tallied six points off the bench for the Trojans.  Deshawn Kelly had five points, four rebounds, and four assists.  Latting collected four rebounds. 
• Four players scored in double digits for the V-Hawks, led by Cunitz with 17 points.  He had five rebounds.  Adams added 16 points and five rebounds.  Monis scored 11 points and pulled down eight rebounds.  He dished out four assists.
• Mannel scored 11 points and contributed a game-high nine assists for Viterbo.  Olson had six points and two steals.
• Both teams shot 40.7 percent overall from the field, with DSU going 22-of-54 field goals and VU making 24 baskets in 59 attempts.  The Trojans drained 10 3-pointers in 27 tries compared to the V-Hawks 4-of-14 3-pointers.
• Viterbo converted 9-of-12 from the free-throw line.  Dakota State struggled at the free-throw line, going 6-of-15 free-throws.
• VU outrebounded DSU 40-34 in the game.
• The Trojans outscored the V-Hawks 41-0 in bench points and 14-4 in transition points.
• A total of 12 lead changes and nine ties were registered in the game.

Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director