MITCHELL, S.D. — No. 10 Dakota Wesleyan Women's Basketball hosted the Northwestern Red Raiders in a GPAC matchup as a part of the 2025 Hoop City Classic.
The Tigers were able to take an early lead that they held onto for the entire contest, thanks to an impressive 38 points in the paint, compared to the 24 scored by the Red Raiders. Avery Orth got involved off the bench in the early stages of the game and went on to post nine points overall. The starting lineup saw Avery Broughton lead the way with 20 points alongside seven rebounds as she continues her display of dominant play through December, while Rylee Rosenquist hit 10 points on a 4-7 (57.1%) clip from the field. The team's leading scorer would come from the bench; however, as Taliyah Hayes put up 24 total points, she started on the court in the second half for Dakota Wesleyan. Hayes shot 8-15 (53.3%) from the field and 4-7 (57.1%) from the three-point line. She finished just one point shy of her career-high of 25 points, which she posted in February 2024 against Concordia. The Tigers used the momentum fueled by Hayes's impressive performance to take a 41-33 lead into the half.
Hayes got to work right away in the second half, while Emma Yost, Shalayne Nagel, and Jaida Young chimed in as starters to contribute to the scoring effort. Yost posted nine total points while Young contributed a team-leading six assists alongside five boards in favor of the Tigers. Nagel found six points towards the hoop and recorded three blocks alongside three boards in a stout performance down towards the basket. Maleighya Estes posted seven more points off the bench for Dakota Wesleyan enroute to a 29-point third period, which gave the Tigers a double-digit lead that put them fully in control of the game, cruising to a 90-63 win after posting 20 more points in the final frame. DWU went 35-63 (55.6%) from the field as a team and 7-16 (43.8%) from the three-point line.
DWU Women's Basketball will be back in action on Saturday, January 3rd, down in Fremont to take on Midland at 2:00 PM. See the full 2025-26 schedule here.