January 2, 2025

This Week's Preview
MADISON, S.D. (Jan. 2, 2025)—The Dakota State University Trojan men's basketball team (7-7 overall record, 0-2 North Star Athletic Association record) resumes to action Saturday for the first time since Dec. 15, 2024.  The Trojans begin their New Year 2025 as they wrap up their season-high six-game home stand at DSU Fieldhouse.

Dakota State continues their North Star Athletic Association as they welcome Bellevue (Neb.) (9-6 overall record, 1-1 NSAA conference record).  The tip-off from the DSU Fieldhouse is set for 5 p.m. on Saturday.

The Trojans fell short in their North Star Athletic Association opener at home before Christmas.  DSU fell to Mayville State (N.D.) 72-63 on Dec. 14 and dropped an overtime contest to Valley City State (N.D.) 83-79 on Dec. 15.  DSU is seeking to snap their three-game losing streak, with the last victory coming on Dec. 4 as they edged Midland (Neb.) 73-71.

Bellevue kicked off their NSAA conference season with a split, falling short to Mayville State 70-69 in a heartbreaker on Dec. 13.  The Bruins rolled past Valley City State 105-66 on Dec. 14 for the first conference win of the season.  Bellevue then went 2-1 record to close out their non-conference schedule, defeating Waldorf (Iowa) 73-63 on Dec. 18.  BU followed up with an 88-56 victory over Haskell (Kan.) and fell to No. 14 ranked Morningside (Iowa) 76-62 in their own home tournament on Dec. 29-30.

DSU and BU will be playing two more NSAA conference meetings after Saturday's contest.

Up Next:  Dakota State closes out their first round of NSAA conference round-robin play next weekend, visiting Dickinson State (N.D.) next Friday and Jamestown (N.D.) next Saturday.

This Week's Quick Hits
+ Dakota State (S.D.) is seeking to snap their three-game losing streak, with the last victory coming on Dec. 4 with a 73-71 victory over Midland (Neb.).  The Trojans opened their home schedule with a 6-0 record.
+ DSU and Bellevue (Neb.) will be playing each other twice this month.  The Trojans and Bruins will play their second meeting in Bellevue, Neb., on Jan. 17 and return to Bellevue for the third NSAA meeting on Feb. 7.
+ Bellevue won the last three meetings with Dakota State, with the most recent victory in the North Star Athletic Association postseason tournament's semifinal contest in Bellevue on Feb. 25, 2024.  BU won by the score of 70-66.
+ The Trojans are seeking for their first win over the Bruins since Feb. 16, 2023.  DSU defeated BU by the score of 69-59 at DSU Fieldhouse.
+ Each North Star member will be playing three rounds of conference round robin contests, playing each team three times during the season. 
+ Dakota State will be playing four different North Star conference members this morning, facing Bellevue, Dickinson State (N.D.), Jamestown (N.D.), and Mayville State (N.D.).
+ DSU plays three home games in the month of January.  The Trojans host Jamestown (N.D.) in the Coaches versus Cancer game on Jan. 24 and Dickinson State (N.D.) during Alumni weekend on Jan. 25.
+ The full North Star Athletic Association action resumes Friday evening in North Dakota.

Noteworthy...
DSU-BELLEVUE ALL-TIME SERIES:  Dakota State (S.D.) and Bellevue (Neb.) began their all-time series meeting on Nov. 16, 1999, where the Trojans won 95-70 at DSU Fieldhouse.  The Trojans then later earned the season series sweep with an 85-72 road victory on Dec. 11, 1999.  Bellevue had defeated Dakota State eight times in the last ten meetings, with those two DSU victories coming on Feb. 16, 2023, and Dec. 5, 2020, at DSU Fieldhouse. 

TROJANS IN THE NORTH STAR RANKS:  According to the NAIA-PrestoStats as of Thursday, Colby Dillenbeck ranks third in the North Star Athletic Association in field goal percentage.  He records 59.8 percent from the field (67-of-112 field goals) this season for Dakota State.  He also ranks 10th in the league with 11.9 points per game.  Lane Tietz is 12th in the conference with 11.6 points per game.  Dakota State is third in the NSAA conference with 80.2 points per game and second in scoring defense (69.9 points per game).

DAKOTA STATE AT HOME:  Dakota State is 6-3 record at home this season at DSU Fieldhouse, despite starting the season with a 6-0 home record.  The Trojans are averaging 87.9 points per game this season at DSU Fieldhouse.  DSU is 292-629 from the field (46.4 percent), 93-of-291 from the 3-point line, and 114-of-162 from the free-throw line at home. 
 
2024-25 DSU MEN'S BASKETBALL DEVELOPMENTAL TEAM UPDATES:  The 2024-25 Dakota State University Trojan men's basketball developmental team is  3-2 record after their 80-66 road setback at Minnesota West CC on Dec. 2.  DSU will return to action on Jan. 13 as they welcome Mount Marty at DSU Fieldhouse at 7:45 p.m., and head to Northwestern (Iowa) on Jan. 20.

Trojans fall in NSAA conference opener to Comets
Madison, S.D. (Dec. 14, 2024)—Mayville State (N.D.) went on a fast start and never trailed, except for two ties, in the North Star Athletic Association men's basketball action at DSU Fieldhouse, defeating Dakota State (S.D.) 72-63.  It was the conference opener for the Trojans. 

Mayville State scored the first nine points of the game to grab a 9-0 lead, while the Trojans answered with a 15-6 run to tie the game at 15-15 with 12:20 to go in the first half.  MSU closed the first half with an 18-5 run in the final 7:02 to take a 44-31 halftime lead.

The Comets led as many as 19 points in the second half, while the Trojans closed the game with a 13-4 run in the final 4:26.  DSU outscored MSU 32-28 in the final twenty minutes of the game. 

Lane Tietz l led the Trojans with 11 points and dished out four assists.  Tyler Beckwith added nine points and three rebounds.  Lukas Morgan scored nine points and grabbed five rebounds off the bench.  Rysley Borman had eight points.  Taine Mitchell registered five points, nine rebounds, four assists, block, and steal.  Aiden Jensen tallied five points, six rebounds, and a block.

Mayville State shot 44.4 percent from the field (28-of-63 field goals) compared to Dakota State 35.5 percent (22-of-62 field goals).  DSU outrebounded MSU 41-35.

DSU drops overtime NSAA home contest versus VCSU
Madison, S.D. (Dec. 15, 2024)—Valley City State (N.D.) erased a 13-point second half deficit and forced overtime with Dakota State (S.D.) in the North Star action at DSU Fieldhouse.  The Vikings outscored the Trojans 14-10 in overtime, hanging on to an 83-79 victory.

DSU led 37-31 by halftime over VCSU.  The  Trojans began the second half with a 9-2 run to earn the game's biggest lead at 46-33 with 16:03 remaining.  The Vikings went on a 21-4 scoring explosion to regain their lead with less than seven minutes to go in the game.  The game was knotted at 69-69 and extended the game into overtime.  The Vikings went on to lead 81-77 with less than 20 seconds to go in overtime and held on to the victory.

Colby Dillenbeck led DSU with 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds.  He was 5-of-6 from the field and 8-of-9 from the free throw line.  Lane Tietz added17 points and three steals.  Lukas Morgan had 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists.  Tyler Beckwith had eight points and seven rebounds.  Taine Mitchell registered eight points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals. 

DSU shot 45.2 percent from the field (28-of-62) compared to VCSU 40 percent (28-of-70).

Upcoming DSU Trojan basketball home events
Madison, S.D. (Jan. 2, 2024)—Dakota State (S.D.) have six home games remaining on their 2024-25 regular-season schedule, including their home contest against Bellevue (Neb.) on Saturday.

The Trojans return home after their two weeks on the road on Jan. 24-25.  DSU hosts Jamestown (N.D.) in the Coaches vs. Cancer contest, raising cancer awareness on Jan. 24.  On the following day on Jan. 25, DSU hosts Dickinson State (N.D.) as part of the alumni weekend.

After three games away on the road for the second time, the Trojans return home on Valentine's Day on Feb. 14 versus Mayville State (N.D.).  The game will also be the annual Ag Ball contest, recognizing the economic growth in agriculture. 

Dakota State plays their final home contest on Feb. 15 versus Valley City State (N.D.), honoring all of their seniors prior to the warm-ups.  The top four seeds will receive a home court contest in the North Star Athletic Association postseason tournament, which is set to begin on Feb. 26.

2024-25 Dakota State Men's Basketball Team Leaders

• Points/Points Per Game:  Colby Dillenbeck - 166 points (11.9 points per game)
• Field Goal Percentage:  Colby Dillenbeck - 59.8 percent (67-of-112 field goals)
• 3-point Field Goal Percentage:  Brayden Pankonen - 38.3 percent (31-of-81 3-point field goals)
• Free-Throw Percentage:  Brayden Pankonen - 80.8 percent (21-of-26 free-throws)
• Rebounds:  Taine Mitchell - 81 rebounds (5.8 rebounds per game)
• Assists/Assists Per Game:  Taine Mitchell - 48 assists (3.4 assists per game)
• Steals/Steals Per Game:  Lane Tietz - 18 steals (1.3 steals per game)
• Blocked Shots:  Tyler Beckwith - 6 blocks (0.4 blocks per game)