November 6, 2026
SEWARD, Neb. — Dakota State (S.D.) built a 17-point first-half lead before Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) rallied in the second half for a 71-56 victory Friday afternoon in the opening game of the Cattle Classic, hosted by Concordia (Neb.) at Friedrich Arena. It was the battle of NAIA's top five teams, with the Trojans ranked No. 3 and the Tigers ranked No. 2 in the preseason poll
The Trojans outscored the Tigers 39-24 in the opening half, highlighted by an 18-7 first-quarter advantage. Dakota Wesleyan responded by outscoring Dakota State 47-17 in the final twenty minutes, including a decisive 25-5 fourth quarter, to complete the comeback.
Dakota State fell to 1-3 overall, while Dakota Wesleyan remained undefeated at 3-0.
How it happened
Dakota State opened the contest with an aggressive defensive effort, forcing seven Dakota Wesleyan turnovers in the first quarter.
Addy Johnson scored the game's first basket, followed by
Bria Wasmund's jumper, as the Trojans jumped to a 4-0 advantage.
The Trojans maintained control throughout the opening period, shooting 8-of-22 from the field and connecting on two 3-pointers. Wasmund scored six first-quarter points, while
Mackenzi Simmons added five points to help Dakota State establish an 18-7 lead after 10 minutes.
Dakota State continued its offensive momentum in the second quarter, producing its highest-scoring period of the contest with 21 points. The Trojans stretched their advantage to as many as 17 points late in the first half (at 39-22 after a 3-pointer by Wasmund, assisted by
Ella Carstensen) and entered halftime ahead 39-24.
The Tigers began their comeback in the third quarter, outscoring Dakota State 22-12 to trim the Trojans' lead to 51-46 heading into the final 10 minutes.
Dakota Wesleyan completed its rally with a 25-5 scoring advantage in the fourth quarter and held the Trojans scoreless for more than eight minutes. The Tigers' second-half surge was fueled by Emma Yost, who scored 22 of her game-high 27 points after halftime, including 13 in the final period.
Inside the box score
Bria Wasmund led the Trojans with 14 points. She also collected a game-high six steals, three rebounds and an assist. Simmons provided a spark off the bench with nine points. She added four rebounds and a steal.
Addy Johnson contributed eight points for Dakota State. She also pulled down four rebounds and recorded a blocked shot.
Madala Hanson and
Ryann Barry each scored five points off the bench. Hanson added three rebounds, two steals and an assist, while Barry finished with two rebounds.
Caitlin Dyer recorded four points and shared the team lead with six rebounds, including three offensive boards. She also collected two steals and an assist. Carstensen added four points, three rebounds, two steals and an assist.
Yost led all scorers with 27 points on 8-of-18 field-goal shooting, including a perfect 10-of-10 performance at the free-throw line. She added eight rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots.
Avery Broughton posted a double-double of 15 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. She also contributed four assists, three steals and two blocked shots. Avery Orth provided 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench, shooting 5-of-11 from the field.
Dakota State struggled offensively, shooting 29.7 percent from the field (22-of-74 field goals), including 15.6 percent from beyond the 3-point arc (5-of-32). The Trojans converted 7-of-11 free throws for 63.6 percent.
Dakota Wesleyan shot 34.9 percent overall (22-of-63 field goals) and 22.2 percent from the 3-point line (2-of-9). The Tigers made 25-of-36 free throws for 69.4 percent, outscoring the Trojans 25-7 at the charity stripe.
The Tigers held a commanding 57-36 rebounding advantage, including 18 offensive rebounds compared to Dakota State's 13.
Dakota State forced 21 turnovers and collected 14 steals, compared to 19 turnovers and 11 steals for Dakota Wesleyan. Both teams scored 15 points off turnovers.
The Trojans outscored the Tigers 24-11 in bench points, while Dakota Wesleyan held advantages in points in the paint (38-32), second-chance points (13-11) and fast-break points (19-8).
Up next
Dakota State concludes their two-day tournament versus host-team No. 10 ranked Concordia (Neb.). The game is set for a 12 p.m. tip-off at Friedrich Arena in Seward, Neb.
