Men's Basketball 12/12/2023 7:48:00 PM Nick Huntimer, Dakota State (S.D.) Sports Information Director

DSU men's basketball wraps up 2023 calendar year with two games this week

Trojans visit Midland (Neb.) Wednesday; return home to conclude 2023 year versus Hastings (Neb.)

December 12, 2023

This Week's Preview
MADISON, S.D. (Dec. 12, 2023)—The Dakota State University Trojan men's basketball team (10-4 overall record) returns to action for the first time since Dec. 2 with a pair of games this week. The Trojans face a pair of games against members of the Great Plains Athletic Conference, with a road game and a home game to wrap up the 2023 calendar year.

Dakota State concludes their three-game road trip Wednesday evening at Midland (Neb.) (4-7 overall record). The game is set for 6 p.m. at Wikert Event Center (N Irving Street) on the campus of Midland (900 N Clarkson Street) in Fremont, Neb. The Trojans wraps up the 2023 portion of the schedule and non-conference schedule on Saturday evening, hosting Hastings (Neb.) (9-2 overall record) with a 5 p.m. tip-off at DSU Fieldhouse (1302 N. Washington Ave.) in Madison.

Dakota State went 2-1 record in their most recent action from Nov. 28 through Dec. 2. The Trojans tied the school record winning streak of nine games after defeating Trinity Bible (N.D.) 82-56 on Nov. 28 before falling at Mount Marty (S.D.) 77-69 on Nov. 29. DSU earned a 69-59 road victory at NCAA Division III Crown (Minn.) on Dec. 2 for their 10th win of the season.

Midland went 1-1 record in their conference play, defeating Doane (Neb.) 86-56 on Dec. 6 and falling at No. 16 ranked Morningside (Iowa) 100-88 on Dec. 9. Hastings extended their winning streak to six games after defeating No. 13 ranked Northwestern (Iowa) 78-74 on Dec. 2 and Dordt (Iowa) 80-78 on Dec. 9.

Up Next: Dakota State opens their North Star conference play at Bellevue (Neb.) on Jan. 6, 2024.

This Week's Quick Hits
+ Dakota State (S.D.) hit double digit victories for the fourth consecutive season after their 69-59 road victory at NCAA Division III Crown (Minn.) on Dec. 2. The victory also gave head coach Darren Tighe his 150th overall career collegiate coaching victory.
+ Dakota State and Midland (Neb.) split their two meetings last season, with both teams winning on their own home court by two points each. DSU won the first meeting on Oct. 29, 2022, in the DSU Classic by the score of 63-61. The Warriors held on to defeat the Trojans 69-67 in the second meeting on Dec. 17, 2022, in Fremont, Neb.
+ Hastings (Neb.) defeated Dakota State 74-64 in their last meeting on Nov. 21, 2022, in Hastings, Neb. The Trojans are seeking for the first victory over the Broncos at DSU Fieldhouse since Nov. 14, 2008 (93-87 at DSU Fieldhouse).
+ Dakota State concludes their non-conference schedule this week with a pair of games. The Trojans are 10-4 record in non-conference games and open their 12-game North Star Athletic Association schedule in the New Year of 2024 at Bellevue (Neb.) on Jan. 6.
+ The Trojans are 1-4 record against members of the Great Plains Athletic Conference teams this season, with the victory coming on Nov. 13 versus rival Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) in the inaugural 'Battle of the Blues' contest at DSU Fieldhouse.
+ Dakota State is 3-3 record on the road this season. The Trojans also look to stay undefeated at home Saturday as they are 4-0 record at DSU Fieldhouse.

Noteworthy...
INSIDE DSU'S NINE-GAME WINNING STREAK: Dakota State (S.D.) tied the school record nine-game winning streak with the 2015-16 squad after their 82-56 home victory over Trinity Bible (N.D.). The winning streak began on Nov. 2 with the victory at NCAA Division III Martin Luther (Minn.). The Trojans averaged 81.1 points per game during their nine-game winning streak and limited their opponents to 66.0 points per game. DSU hit the century mark during the winning streak after their 103-63 win over Providence.

DAKOTA STATE HIT DOUBLE DIGIT WINS: Dakota State hit their double digit victories for the third straight seasons after their 69-59 road victory at Crown (Minn.). The Trojans also produced the double digit victories for the 13th time in the 15 seasons since the 2009-10 season. The highlight of the 2023-24 season saw DSU matching its single-season consecutive wins with nine straight wins.

TROJANS IN THE NORTH STAR RANKS: According to the NAIA-PrestoStats as of Tuesday, Dakota State ranks fourth in the league in scoring offense with 76.6 points per game. The Trojans are second in soring defense, allowing the opponents to 71 points per game as well as field goal percentage of 41.9 percent. Emmanuel Akpan averages 8.9 rebounds per game for Dakota State, which is third in the North Star conference. Brayden Pankonen leads the NSAA conference in total steals with 28 steals.

2023-24 DSU DEVELOPMENTAL TEAM SEASON UPDATES: The Dakota State University Trojan men's basketball developmental team wrapped up their 2023 portion of the schedule with a 79-72 home setback to in-state rival Mount Marty (S.D.) on Nov. 30. DSU, at 3-3 overall record, resumes to action on Jan. 15, 2024, as they conclude their three-game home stand versus Dordt (Iowa). DSU visits MMU on Jan. 16.

Trojans tie school record winning streak with nine
Madison, S.D. (Nov. 28, 2023)—Dakota State (S.D.) pulled down a season-high 57 rebounds, blossoming their winning streak to nine games after an 82-56 home victory over Trinity Bible (N.D.) in a non-conference men's basketball game at DSU Fieldhouse. The victory also tied the school record nine consecutive victories with the 2015-16 season.

The Lions kept the Trojans in the first three-plus minutes of the game, opening with a 5-0 lead. DSU later sparked a 12-3 scoring run to open a 19-13 lead. The Trojans led 38-25 by halftime. Dakota State maintained their double dight lead of the rest of the game, outscoring TBC 44-31 in the final twenty minutes of the game.

Five Trojans scored in double digits, led by Brayden Pankonen with 19 points. He tied a season-high five assists and stole the ball three times. Kenney Haynes added 12 points and earned four rebounds. He had three assists. Emmanuel Akpan and Mison Coilton each scored 11 points. Coilton tied a season-high nine rebounds. Akpan collected eight rebounds and two blocks. Josh Lewis had 10 points. Uzo Dibiamaka had eight points and gathered a season-high 12 rebounds.

DSU shot 40.5 percent overall from the field (32-of-79 field goals). Trinity Bible was held to 29.7 percent (22-of-74 field goals). The Trojans outrebounded the Lions 57-42 in the game.

Lancers halt Trojans' nine-game winning streak
Yankton, S.D. (Nov. 29, 2023)—Dakota State's (S.D.) nine-game winning streak came to an end at Cimpl Arena as Mount Marty (S.D.) earned a 77-69 victory.

After trading 3-pointers to start the game, the Lancers went on a 12-2 scoring tear to open a 15-5 lead with 13:32 on the clock in the first half. DSU would trim their deficit to 27-22 with 3:14 to go before halftime. MMU led 37-27 by halftime.

Mount Marty maintained their lead between five– and ten-1points for the first seven-plus minutes of the second half. The Trojans trimmed the Lancers' lead to 46-42 with 12:54 left, but could get no closer. DSU outscored MMU 42-40 in the final twenty minutes of the game.
Mison Coilton led Dakota State with 18 points and five rebounds. Kenny Haynes added 14 points off the bench. Emmanual Akpan tallied 13 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. He dished out three assists. Josh Lewis had eight points.

Mount Marty shot 49.1 percent overall from the field (28-of-57 field goals) compared to Dakota State 37.5 percent (27-of-72 field goals). DSU hit 6-of-27 3-pointers, while MMU converted 4-of-17 3-pointers. The Lancers outrebounded the Trojans 42-30.

Trojans hold off Polars' second-half surge
St. Bonifacius, Minn. (Dec. 2, 2023)—Dakota State (S.D.) built a 13-point halftime lead over NCAA Division III Crown (Minn.), holding off the Polars' second-half comeback as the Trojans held on to a 69-59 victory. The victory also gave head coach Darren Tighe his 150th overall career collegiate victory.

Trailing 7-5, DSU went on a 16-6 scoring run to earn a 21-13 lead with 9:08 to go before halftime. The Trojans hit a blazing 53.3 percent from the field, including 7-of-17 from the 3-point arc to earn a 40-27 halftime lead over Crown. The Polars rallied back to tie the game at 59-59. The Trojans held Crown scoreless in the final 4:31, securing a 10-0 closing run for the 10th victory of the season.

Brayden Pankonen led the Trojans with 14 points. Kenny Haynes added 14 points and six rebounds. Japjit Gill tallied 10 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Emmanul Akpan, Mison Coilton, and Uhana Ochan each had nine points. Akpan grabbed nine rebounds.

DSU shot 41.8 percent from the field (23-of-55 field goals) compared to Crown 34.3 percent (24-of-70 FGs).

2023-24 Dakota State Men's Basketball Team Leaders

Points/Points Per Game: Mison Coilton - 174 points (12.4 points per game)
Field Goal Percentage: Emmanuel Akpan - 56.3 percent (54-of-96 field goals)
3-point Field Goal Percentage: Mison Coilton - 41.0 percent (16-of-39 3-point field goals)
Free-Throw Percentage: Kenny Haynes - 80.0 percent (16-of-20 free-throws)
Rebounds: Emmanuel Akpan - 124 rebounds (8.9 rebounds per game)
Assists/Assists Per Game: Japjit Gill - 45 assists (3.2 assists per game)
Steals/Steals Per Game: Brayden Pankonen - 28 steals (2.0 steals per game)
Blocked Shots: Uzo Dibiamaka - 11 blocks (1.6 blocks per game)