Kris Wilson
Jalen Voss
Jake Kneeland
MITCHELL, S.D. – The Dakota Wesleyan University men’s basketball team had No. 13 Northwestern College on the ropes Wednesday night.
The Tigers had a lead on Northwestern early, and fought back from a second-half deficit to make it a close game late. Dakota Wesleyan made it a one-point game on a three-point play by Kris Wilson with 1:23 left to play, but couldn’t make stops down the stretch and the Red Raiders held on for a 93-85 win at the Corn Palace.
Northwestern (14-4, 7-3) led by 10 with 10:29 left to play, but Bo LaCroix and Carde Pennington hit back-to-back 3-pointers to spark an 11-1 DWU run that also included a three from Jake Kneeland. That run made it a one-point game, 72-71, with 7:54 to play. Northwestern pushed its lead back to six on a layup by Josh VanderPlaats and a three by Eli Groenendyk, but another three from Kneeland a few minutes later cut the game back to two, 81-79, with 3:02 remaining.
The Tigers (11-9, 3-7) cut the gap to one one last time, 85-84, with 1:23 to play on Wilson’s three-point play, but Northwestern responded with a layup by Jon Kramer and a pair of free throws by Walker Seim. The Tigers scored a single layup in the final 1:23 of the game.
Early in the game, it was Dakota Wesleyan that jumped to a lead. After the lead exchanged hands several times, German Madueno hit a three to put DWU up 13-10 with 14:44 left in the first half. Jalen Voss scored on two straight baskets and Pennington hit a three before Voss pulled down an offensive rebound and scored again to put the Tigers up by eight, 22-14, with 12:36 left in the half.
The Red Raiders – who were without two starters due to sickness – made it a two-point game, but the Tigers went on a 6-0 run to push the lead back to eight, 35-27, with 6:20 left in the first half. Northwestern tied the game, but Pennington scored and Kneeland hit a three to push DWU’s lead to five, 40-35, with 3:25 left in the half. DWU led 45-43 at halftime.
The Red Raiders took their first lead of the second half on a three by Ryan Stock, and another three by Stock pushed their lead to six, 55-49, with just under four minutes gone from the half. The Tigers made it a two-point game, but Northwestern pushed its lead back to 10 before the Tigers put together a late rally.
Wilson finished with a team-high 18 points for the Tigers and he also had four assists and four rebounds. Voss finished with 16 points and eight rebounds and Kneeland had 14 points, including four three-point shots. Pennington added 12 points and Jordan Long chipped in with 11 points and five rebounds. DWU shot 52.5 percent from the field and went 15-for-19 from the line. The Tigers had 27 rebounds and 12 turnovers.
Walker Seim led all scorers with 22 points for Northwestern. Groenendyk added 14, Stock and Zack Leeper each finished with 13 and Ben Miller added 12 points. Miller and Groenendyk each had five rebounds and Miller also had five assists. The Red Raiders shot 59.3 percent from the field, including 63.3 percent in the second half. They went 15-for-18 from the line and had 27 rebounds and 11 turnovers.
DWU is back in action Sunday, Jan. 15, when it hosts Hastings College at 4 p.m.
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