November 10, 2026
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Dakota State (S.D.) used a dominant second-half performance Tuesday evening, overcoming an 11-point halftime deficit to defeat Dordt (Iowa) of the Great Plains Athletic Conference 79-71 in a non-conference men's basketball contest at the Sanford Sports Complex.
The victory marked the first time since 1993 and 1994 that Dakota State had defeated Dordt in back-to-back meetings. The Trojans remained undefeated at 4-0 overall, while the Defenders fell to 3-2.
Trailing 44-33 at halftime, Dakota State outscored Dordt 46-27 in the final 20 minutes to complete the comeback. The Trojans held the Defenders to just 1-of-10 shooting from 3-point range in the second half after Dordt connected on eight of its first 10 attempts from beyond the arc before intermission.
How it happened
Dordt established an early advantage behind its perimeter shooting, building a 31-20 lead with 5:53 remaining in the first half. The Defenders stretched their lead to as many as 14 points at 40-26 with 2:48 remaining before halftime.
Dakota State closed the first half with a 7-4 scoring advantage, highlighted by consecutive baskets from
Logan Thebiay, including a dunk that trimmed the deficit to 40-32 with 1:30 remaining. Dordt eventually took a 44-33 lead into the locker room.
The Trojans began their second-half comeback by gradually chipping away at Dordt's lead. Trailing 54-45, Dakota State used a 12-0 scoring run, capped by a pair of
Aiden Jensen's free throws, to take a 57-54 advantage with 8:26 remaining.
After Dordt briefly regained the lead at 58-57, Dakota State answered with nine consecutive points to build a 66-58 advantage with 6:19 remaining. The Trojans had four different scorers during the 9-0 scoring run – Jensen,
Kee'on Hutton,
Tyler Beckwith, and
Lukas Morgan.
The Defenders could get no closer than four points in the closing minutes. Morgan scored six points in the final 4:48, including four free throws, while Pankonen added three late free throws to help secure the victory.
Inside the box score
Morgan sparked Dakota State's second-half surge, scoring 15 of his team-high 17 points after halftime. He finished the contest shooting 5-of-9 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line, adding five rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocked shots.
Jensen added 14 points, four rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots for the Trojans. Beckwith contributed 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot.
Dakota State also received nine points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals from
Brayden Pankonen.
Jonathan Campbell provided seven points and four rebounds off the bench, while
Kee'on Hutton added six points.
Na'Kylan Starks directed the Trojan offense with a game-high six assists, along with four points and three rebounds.
Dordt was led by Connor Millikan with 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Steven Poulicek and Landon De Stigter each added 14 points, while Judson Henkel contributed 12 points and seven rebounds.
The Trojans shot 50 percent from the field (28-of-56 field goals) and recorded 19 assists on their 28 made baskets. Dakota State dominated the interior, outscoring Dordt 44-28 in points in the paint, and held a 36-30 rebounding advantage.
Defensively, Dakota State forced 14 Dordt turnovers while committing just nine, converting those Defender miscues into 24 points. The Trojans also registered nine steals and five blocked shots.
The Defenders finished shooting 47.5 percent from the field (28-of-59 field goals), including 45 percent from the 3-point line (9-of-20). However, Dakota State's second-half defensive pressure limited Dordt to 38.7 percent shooting (12-of-31) after halftime.
The Trojans also capitalized at the free-throw line in the second half, making 16 of their 21 attempts. Dakota State finished 19-of-27 (70.4 percent) from the charity stripe, compared to Dordt's 6-of-8 (75 percent).
Up next
Dakota State travels to Sioux City, Iowa, Saturday afternoon for a non-conference action against another member of the Great Plains Athletic Conference. The Trojans play Briar Cliff (Iowa) at Newman Flanagan Center, tipping off at 4 p.m.
