MITCHELL — In its first home game of the year, the Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball team rushed out the door.

The Tigers’ aggressive tempo proved to be the winning strategy on Wednesday night.

DWU defeated Dakota State 76-48 in the teams’ annual Battle of the Blues matchup at the Corn Palace. DWU shot effectively with 45.7% in the first half and took 12 offensive rebounds in the match, taking advantage of creating second chances.

Knowing how important this game was for the players on the Tigers’ roster, which lost 77-76 to the Trojans last year, head coach Kevin Williamson praised the progress they have made since the beginning of the season.

“We had a couple of good practices in a row and tonight we finally got a break,” he said. “We were pretty aggressive in our pursuit of (Dakota State), which is just a culmination of what we’ve been working on for six weeks. I was really impressed with how competitive we were.”

It was a hot start to the game, as the Tigers and Trojans took the lead four times in the opening minutes. But Sam Aslesen converted a three-point play, starting a 15-3 run and scoring a quick seven points to help DWU build an 11-point lead midway through the first half.

The lead grew even larger as Jakob Dobney sparked off the bench, scoring six of his 10 points from the bench in a two-minute span as halftime approached. The Tigers’ defense held serve the entire time, forcing DSU into errors at both ends of the court.

Marcus Traxler / Mitchell Republic

“We had our hands in their faces,” Williamson said. “We were there for every dribble, every space. They were really aggressively displacing or trapping. … We never give up on second chance opportunities. We just kept going and kept going.”

The aggressive play continued as the second half began, with DWU increasing its ball-moving power with a 12-3 run to counter DSU’s urgency to take the lead. Four Tigers players collected points during the run, displaying the poise and philosophy the team would continue to display on game days.

“What we’ve shown is that we can potentially play almost 10 minutes a game with 10 players,” Williamson said. “Opportunity can arise at any time and it starts to show how we can extend players and extend minutes. And so the next person always needs to be ready to go.

Marcus Traxler / Mitchell Republic

A total of 10 players were on the court for at least seven minutes and shot 42% overall, defeating DSU 43-30. Aslesen recorded a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Randy Rosenquist Jr. He recorded 15 points and a pair of steals, and Tampa Scott IV went 5-of-7 from the field for 10 points.

DSU (4-2) shot just 30% in the contest and had just four offensive rebounds, all of which came in the second half. Isaac Sumption led all Trojans with eight points on 2-of-4 shooting from the 3-point line. Brayden Pankonen scored six points and Aiden Jensen came off the bench to go with four points and a team-high six rebounds.

DWU (3-0) returns to action against Valley City State at the Corn Palace on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 5 p.m. Satisfied with his performance at the window, Williamson stated that rebounding and defense will continue to be his focus, considering the importance of each game.

“It doesn’t matter how ugly shots you take, if you attack and make tough baskets, you give yourself a chance,” Williamson said. “Everyone likes to shoot, but if you defend and rebound, you’ll be in every game.”

Marcus Traxler / Mitchell Republic

DWU men 76, Dakota State 48
Dakota State (4-2): Brayden Pankonen 1-4 1-3 6, Calvin Payne 1-2 0-0 3, Isaac Sumption 2-4 2-2 8, Taine Mitchell 0-1 0-0 0, Colby Dillenbeck 2-6 0-0 4, Spencer Hutchinson 0-4 0-1 0, Lane Tietz 1-3 1-2 4, Tyler Beckwith 1-6 2-2 4, Trelin Barnett 1-5 2-3 4, Aiden Jensen 2-3 0-0 4, Rysley Borman 2-4 0-0 5, Lukas Morgan 0-2 0-1 0, Nolan Segner 1-3 0-0 2, Ethan Slaathaug 1-3 2-2 4. Totals: 15-50 12-17 48.
Dakota Wesleyan (3-0): Tampa Scott IV 5-7 0-0 10, Randy Rosenquist Jr 6-17 1-2 15, Sam Aslesen 7-12 5-6 19, Blaze Lubbers 1-5 2-2 4, Tyson Stevenson 1-4 0-0 3 Oliver Vincent 1-4 1-2 3, Anthony Riggans 1-2 0-0 2, Lane Kuchenbecker 0-0 0-0 0, Ethan Determan 1-2 2-2 5, Jakob Dobney 5-11 0-1 10 , Steele Morgan 1-1 1-2 3, Braydon Simon 0-0 0-0 0, Jadon Amiot 0-1 0-0 0, Jared Perry 0-1 0-0 0, Wade Autenreith 0-1 2-2 2 , Desman Botts 0-1 0-0 0, Jacob Jorenby 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 29-69 14-19 76.
First half: DWU 41-21. 3-pointers: DWU 4-20 (Rosenquist Jr 2-9, Lubbers 0-1, Stevenson 1-4, Vincent 0-2, Riggans 0-1, Determan 1-2, Dobney 0-1), DSU 6 -26 (Pankonen 1-3, Payne 1-2, Sumption 2-4, Mitchell 0-1, Dillenbeck 0-1, Hutchinson 0-1, Tietz 1-3, Beckwith 0-4, Barnett 0-1, Jensen 0 -1 , Borman 1-3, Morgan 0-1, Segner 0-1). Rebound-offense: DWU 43-12 (Aslesen 11), DSU 30-4 (Jensen 6). Total fouls: DWU 18, DSU 19. Fouled: None. Technical foul: None. Assists: DWU 7 (Rosenquist Jr 2, Determan 2), DSU 11 (Barnett 3). Turnovers: DWU 5, DSU 10. Blocks: DWU 2 (Aslesen, Morgan), DSU 1 (Jensen). Steals: DWU 7 (Rosenquist Jr 2), DSU 4 (Payne, Dillenbeck, Tietz, Barnett).