SIOUX CITY, Iowa — No. 9 Dakota Wesleyan Women's Basketball faced the Morningside Mustangs in a road GPAC contest.
The Tigers and Mustangs traded first-period points with an immediate offensive presence from Rylee Rosenquist, who scored four of her 12 total points in the first 10 minutes of competition. The senior from North Sioux City went on to also record seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals in a well-rounded performance, and was joined by Shalayne Nagel in the first period, who was able to match Rosenquist's point total while adding four boards, three blocks, and two steals to her final stat line. The Tigers trailed after the first period, as the Mustangs took a 16-13 lead, but the momentum swung in the middle of the contest, and Dakota Wesleyan quickly put them back in control. DWU caught fire offensively thanks to the efforts of Maleighya Estes off the bench, who recorded a total of 12 points, alongside five rebounds and an assist, and back-to-back GPAC Defensive Player of the Week, Avery Broughton, chimed in with a big second period en route to a team-leading 17-point performance. Their efforts helped push Dakota Wesleyan to a 24-point quarter and a 37-30 lead at the half.
Broughton was able to add eight rebounds, four assists, and a block to the statsheet and would only be matched on the boards by starter Jaida Young, who also tallied seven points, two assists, and a steal in a solid supporting performance. Emma Yost also had an immensely productive second half, and added 15 points, a team-leading six assists, five rebounds, two blocks, and a steal to her season totals. Their added contributions propelled Dakota Wesleyan to a 60-47 lead on the road heading into the final 10 minutes of play. The Tigers outperformed the Mustangs on the boards, 43-35, and were able to capitalize on opportunities off turnovers, outscoring Morningside 17-6 in that category. The Mustangs were able to match the scoring output from the Tigers, but more free throw opportunities and a more efficient night from the three-point line gave DWU the advantage it needed to close out the contest, 75-63, to pick up its 10th-straight win. The victory also marks a season sweep of the Mustangs.
DWU Women's Basketball will be back in action on Saturday, January 24th, against the College of Saint Mary. See the full schedule here.