February 21, 2025

This Week's Preview
MADISON, S.D. (Feb. 21, 2025)—The Dakota State University Trojan men's basketball team (11-14 overall record, 4-9 North Star Athletic Association record) plays their final regular season contests against the top two teams in the conference this weekend in North Dakota.

The Trojans make their first stop at Newman Arena (1004 7th Street NE) Friday evening in Jamestown, N.D., taking on Jamestown (N.D.) (14-12 overall record, 9-4 NSAA conference record).  The game is set for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.  Dakota State closes out their regular season schedule on Saturday evening versus the conference's leader Dickinson State (N.D.) (15-10 overall record, 10-3 NSAA conference record).  The game will be held at Scott Gymnasium (1104 2nd Street W) in Dickinson, N.D., with a 6 p.m. (Central Time)/5 p.m. (Mountain Time) tip-off.

Dakota State closed their home schedule with a pair of setbacks last weekend.  Dakota State fell to Mayville State (N.D.) 77-73 in the annual Ag Ball game on Feb. 14, followed by a 78-68 defeat to Valley City State (N.D.) on Feb. 15.  The Trojans finished their home schedule with a 7-7 record.

Dickinson State snapped their two-game losing skid with an 81-59 victory over Jamestown on Feb. 14 in both teams' lone North Star Athletic Association contest.  The Blue Hawks completed their North Star's three-game series sweep of the Jimmies (3-0 record).

Up Next:  Dakota State plays in the quarterfinals round of the North Star Athletic Association Men's Basketball Postseason Tournament on Wednesday evening.  The pairings and game times will be announced at a later time.

This Week's Quick Hits
+ Dakota State (S.D.) looks to extend their road winning streak this weekend.  The Trojans are currently on a three-game winning streak on the road that began on Jan. 31 with a 70-67 victory at Mayville State (N.D.), followed by a 66-61 win at Valley City State (N.D.) on Feb. 1 and a 64-62 win at Bellevue (Neb.) on Feb. 7.
+ The Trojans and Jamestown (N.D.) split their two North Star conference meetings this season, with both teams winning on their own home court.  DSU won the recent meeting on Jan. 24 at DSU Fieldhouse by the score of 83-60.
+ UJ won the last meeting held at Newman Arena on Jan. 11 by the score of 94-73.  Dakota State is seeking for their first victory at Newman Arena, and their first road win since Feb. 3, 2016 (at Civic Center).   
+ Dickinson State (N.D.) won the first two NSAA meetings with Dakota State this season.  The Blue Hawks rallied back for a 72-69 victory at Scott Gymnasium on Jan. 10 and held on toa 63-58 win on Jan. 25 at DSU Fieldhouse.
+ DSU is seeking for their first win in Dickinson, N.D., since Jan. 13, 2024, where the Trojans won by the score of 59-53.   
+ Dakota State and Bellevue (Neb.) are tied for fifth in the NSAA conference standings with 4-9 record each.  They are one-half game behind Valley City State (N.D.) for fourth place in the standings.
+ The Trojans are 3-3 record on the road in the North Star Athletic Association action, winning the previous three road contests with the most recent 64-62 victory at Bellevue on Feb. 7.
+ The NSAA postseason tournament dates include Wednesday (Feb. 26), Saturday, March 1, and Tuesday, March 4.
 
Noteworthy...
FIVE TROJANS LISTED ON 2025 DAKTRONICS-NAIA SCHOLAR ATHLETE LIST:  Five Dakota State (S.D.) athletes were listed on the 2025 Daktronics-NAIA Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete list.  They are Noah Haynes, Taine Mitchell, Brayden Pankonen, Ethan Slaathaug, and Isaac Sumption.   These student-athletes had produced a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and had attended the institution for one full year.

TROJANS IN THE NSAA RANKS:  According to the NAIA-PrestoStats as of Thursday, Taine Mitchell of Dakota State ranks fifth in the North Star Athletic Association with 5.6 rebounds per game.  Colby Dillenbeck ranks second in the league in field goal percentage, registering 62.6 percent prior to the games this weekend.  Lane Tietz ranks 10th in scoring with 11.2 points per game, followed by Brayden Pankonen 12th with 10.9 points per game and Dillenbeck 13th with 106. points per game.

NSAA POSTSEASON TOURNAMENT:   All six NSAA teams will play in the postseason tournament, opening with the quarterfinals on Wednesday, Feb. 26.  The seedings have not been set and will be announced after the conclusion of the regular season finale on Saturday.  The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds receive an opening round bye and host the semifinals on March 1, with winners advancing to championship game on March 4.
 
2024-25 DSU MEN'S BASKETBALL DEVELOPMENTAL TEAM UPDATES:  The 2024-25 Dakota State University Trojan men's basketball developmental team wrapped up their regular season schedule on Feb. 17, falling to Morningside (Iowa) 95-62.  The Trojans finished their 2024-25 season with a 6-4 record, including a 5-1 record at DSU Fieldhouse despite their regular season finale setback to the Mustangs.

Comets edge Trojans 77-73 in annual Ag Ball game
Madison, S.D. (Feb. 14, 2025)—Dakota State's (S.D.) late second half comeback fell short as they dropped a 77-73 North Star Athletic Association and Ag Ball contest to Mayville State (N.D.) at DSU Fieldhouse. 

The Comets shot a blazing 55.9 percent from the field (19-of-34 field goals) in the first half, opening a 45-31 halftime lead over the Trojans.  DSU was 44 percent from the field (11-of-25 field goals).

Trailing 57-44, DSU went on a monstrous 19-4 outburst to regain their lead.  Brayden Pankonen highlighted the scoring run with three 3-pointers, including a 3-pointer that gave DSU a 63-61 lead with 7:33 remaining.  MSU answered with a 9-0 scoring run and never trailed for the rest of the game to secure a four-point victory. 

Lane Tietz led Dakota State with 18 points, including 7-of-7 from the free throw line.  Pankonen added 16 points and tied a career high five assists.  Taine Mitchell had a season-high 14 points and contributed five assists.  Colby Dillenbeck had eight points and six rebounds.  Aiden Jensen tallied six points and five rebounds.  Lukas Morgan recorded five points and five rebounds.  

DSU was 24-of-51 from the field (47.1 percent) compared to MSU 30-of-57 field goals.  Dakota State outrebounded Mayville State 37-28..

Trojans fall to Vikings on Seniors Day
Madison, S.D. (Feb. 15, 2025) — Dakota State (S.D.) fell to Valley City State (N.D.) 78-68 in their North Star Athletic Association regular season home finale at DSU Fieldhouse.

With the Vikings leading 32-31, VCSU closed the first half with an 11-1 scoring run to balloon their lead to 43-32 by halftime.  Valley City State shot 53.6 percent from the field in the first half compared to Dakota State 50 percent.

The Vikings maintained their double-dight lead until the Trojans trimmed their deficit into single digit after four free throws at the same time, trailing 45-36 with 18:28 remaining.  At 52-43, VCSU used an 11-2 scoring run for the biggest lead and never trailed for the rest of the game to secure the victory.

Brayden Pankonen scored 17 points and stole the ball two times for DSU.  Aiden Jensen tallied 16 points on his 6-of-9 from the field and grabbed five rebounds.  Lane Tietz had 10 points, five rebounds, and four assists.  Taine Mitchell collected 10 rebounds.  Calvin Payne and Lukas Morgan each had three assists.

Dakota State shot 39 percent from the field (23-of-59 field goals) compared to Valley City State 48.1 percent (26-of-54 field goals).  DSU outrebounded VCSU 35-34.

NSAA men's basketball conference recap
Madison, S.D. (Feb. 20, 2025)— The North Star Athletic Association conference season is heading into their final weekend.  This weekend's schedule includes Dakota State (S.D.) and Bellevue (Neb.) traveling to Jamestown (N.D.) and Dickinson State (N.D.) for Friday's and Saturday's games.  Mayville State (N.D.) hosts Valley City State (N.D.) in their regular season finale on Friday evening.

The Blue Hawks currently hold a one-game lead in the North Star Athletic Association men's basketball conference standings with a 10-3 record, followed by the Jimmies with a second place in the standings with a 9-4 record. 

Mayville State is third with 8-6 record, followed by Valley City State fourth with 5-9 record.  The Trojans and the Bruins are tied for fifth with 4-9 conference record each.

The NSAA postseason tournament begins with the quarterfinals round on Wednesday, Feb. 26, with No. 3 and No. 4 seeds serving as a host.  The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds receive an opening round bye and will host the semifinals on March 1, with the winners advancing to the championship game on March 4.

024-25 Dakota State Men's Basketball Team Leaders

• Points/Points Per Game:  Lane Tietz - 281 points (11.2 points per game)
• Field Goal Percentage:  Colby Dillenbeck - 62.6 percent (102-of-163 field goals)
• 3-point Field Goal Percentage:  Brayden Pankonen - 39.9 percent (63-of-158 3-point field goals)
• Free-Throw Percentage:  Lane Tietz - 87.5 percent (42-of-48 free-throws)
• Rebounds:  Taine Mitchell - 140 rebounds (5.6 rebounds per game)
• Assists/Assists Per Game:  Lane Tietz - 71 assists (2.8 assists per game)
• Steals/Steals Per Game:  Brayden Pankonen - 31 steals (1.2 steals per game)
• Blocked Shots:  Aiden Jensen - 14 blocks (0.6 blocks per game)