CRETE, Neb. — No. 9 Dakota Wesleyan Women's Basketball traveled to Nebraska to take on the Doane Tigers in a road conference matchup.
Dakota Wesleyan started the contest with a 9-0 scoring run that saw a handful of Tigers get involved on the offensive front early. The team was led in scoring by Avery Broughton, who was able to record 17 points, while Rylee Rosenquist contributed 14 of her own. The lineup was even more impressive, however, on defense, as DWU only allowed four total points in the first period, led by Broughton, who recorded eight rebounds, four assists, and three blocks, alongside Rosenquist, who extended her effort to a double-double following a team-leading 10 recorded rebounds, along with four assists and two steals. Taliyah Hayes would add points to the board off the bench in the first half, going on to tally nine points and two rebounds, pushing DWU's lead to 21-4 after one period. The Doane offense got back into a rhythm in the second period, but a consistent scoring effort from Dakota Wesleyan kept them out in front with a comfortable lead. Shalayne Nagel nearly recorded a double-double, posting 12 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and a team-leading four steals on the defensive end, and Emma Yost would be the fourth DWU athlete to post a double-digit scoring effort, recording 10 points alongside eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals. The added efforts helped DWU control the glass and out-rebound Doane 53-34 by the end of the game, while also forcing 15 total turnovers that resulted in 19 Dakota Wesleyan points.
The second half saw DWU's offense slow down a bit, but the continually impressive play from the defense limited Doane to just 13 and 11 points in the final two periods, respectively. Maleighya Estes, off the bench, was able to add to the scoreboard with five points, along with a rebound, assist, and steal, while Jaida Young rounded out the starting rotation with five rebounds, two points, and an assist in 17 minutes on the court. Yost and Broughton found their grooves on offense out of the break to give Dakota Wesleyan an added boost of momentum, and the Tigers were able to ride the defense's efforts to a 69-47 victory by the end of the contest. Dakota Wesleyan was outshot from three, 17.6% to 30.8%, but found more success overall from the field, 40.3% to 30.0%, all while limiting turnovers to keep control of the contest. The win marks DWU's 14th consecutive win, and the team improves to 20-4 overall.
DWU Women's Basketball will be back in action on Wednesday, February 11th, against Waldorf down in Iowa starting at 5:00 PM. See the full 2025-26 schedule here.