Early lead helps DWU men in win over Bulldogs

The Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball team snapped a three-game losing streak with a 79-63 win over Concordia Sunday at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.

The Tigers (10-12, 5-7 GPAC) gained their momentum with a 7-0 run, started by Danny Maman with a 3-pointer, with 5:02 left to play in the first half.

“It was good for us to get the momentum early,” said DWU’s Mike Lee, who scored 16 points in the win. “It got our confidence on the right level.”

The Tigers continued shooting well throughout the half, going 16-of-29 from the field for 55 percent. With back-to-back shots by Jalen Voss and Aireus Stephenson, DWU took a 13-point lead with less than a minute to play before heading into the locker room. After a free throw by Concordia’s Joey Werning, the Tigers had a 39-27 lead at the half.

Concordia (5-14, 2-11 GPAC) came within six points by going on a 9-2 to open the second half.

“I thought our guys played well,” said DWU coach Shane Murphy, whose team shot 49 percent from the field and 82 percent from the line. “We had times where we weren’t that sharp offensively, so our defense was solid all day long and forced them into taking jump shots.”

Concordia wouldn’t get any closer as Chris Menning answered with a three-point basket, putting DWU back in front by nine with 15:40 to play in the game.

DWU led by as many as 16 points in the second half and was led by Voss with a game-high 26 points and eight rebounds. Stephenson finished with 21 points in the game.

The Bulldogs shot 42 percent from the field and 61 percent from the foul line. Beau Smith had a team-best 19 points Brent Houchin and Porter Birtell scored nine points apiece in the loss.

The Tigers look to start a winning streak as they host Mount Marty at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.

DAKOTA WESLEYAN 79

CONCORDIA 63

DWU (10-12, 5-7 GPAC)

Mike Lee 5-10 5-7 16, Kris Menning 3-6 0-0 8, Luke Bamberg 1-2 0-0 2, Aireus Stephenson 7-12 7-8 21, Jalen Voss 10-17 6-7 26, Carde Pennington 1-4 0-0 3, Trae Bergh 0-0 0-0 0, Bo LaCroix 0-0 0-0 0, Danny Maman 1-4 0-0 3, Stephen Lee 0-0 0-0 0, Jade Miller 0-2 0-0 0. Totals: 28-57 18-22 79.

CU (5-14, 2-11 GPAC)

Joel Haywood 1-6 2-2 4, Charles Dunbar 0-6 0-0 0, Beau Smith 7-12 2-4 19, Brent Houchin 6-12 0-2 12, Porter Birtell 5-8 2-4 12, Phil Friedrich 0-0 0-0 0, Joey Werning 1-5 1-2 3, Robby Thomas 3-5 2-2 9, Max Wegener 1-2 2-2 4, Zach Chrzan 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 24-57 11-18 63.

Halftime: DWU 39-27. 3-point goals: DWU 5-16 (Menning 2, Lee 1, Maman 1, Pennington 1), CU 4-16 (Smith 3, Thomas 1); Rebounds: DWU 36 (Voss 8), CU 31 (Thomas 6); Assists: DWU 14 (Lee 6), CU 18 (Dunbar 6); Steals: DWU 2 (Lee 1, Stephenson 1), CU 5 (Houchin 2); Turnovers: DWU 11, CU 12; Total fouls: DWU 14, CU 19; Technical fouls: none.

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