BROOKINGS - For one half, the Dakota Wesleyan University men’s basketball team stayed with the South Dakota State Jackrabbits.
After one half of play Friday, the Tigers were just four points behind SDSU, but the Jacks turned it on in the second half to win the exhibition game 96-73 at Frost Arena.
The Tigers jumped out to an early 31-21 lead over the Jacks with help from guard Matt Henriksen and forward Jalen Voss.
“I have some guys that I believe in and we have guys that are confident shooters,” first-year DWU men’s basketball coach Matt Wilber said. “We were making shots and that didn’t surprise me.”
“If you told me we were going to be down four to SDSU at the end of the first in the first game of the year, I would probably take that.”
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Henriksen, a Mitchell native, scored all 12 of his points in the first half, while Voss totaled 10 points in the first half and finished with 12. Corsica natives Luke Bamberg and Kris Menning had 11 and eight points. respectively.
DWU guard and Mitchell native Tate Martin had a team-leading six assists and Trae Bergh tallied 12 points for the Tigers, who were 17-of-47 from beyond the three-point line.
The Jackrabbits powered past the Tigers in the second half, outscoring DWU 48-29. SDSU was led by guard Chad White and forwards Marcus Heemstra and Jordan Dykstra. White Finished with 15, Dykstra had 14 and Heemstra added 11.
“I am really proud of our guys and the effort they gave,” said Wilber, a former assistant for SDSU.
The Tigers open their regular season schedule at 7 p.m. Monday against Trinity Bible College at the Corn Palace in Mitchell. SDSU starts its season on the road Friday against San Diego.
South Dakota State 96
Dakota Wesleyan 73
DWU (0-0)
Jalen Voss 5-17 0-1 12; Luke Bamberg 4-9 0-0 11; Trae Bergh 4-8 0-0 12; Kris Menning 3-5 0-0 8; Stephen Lee 0-1 0-0 0; Jaylen Uthe 2-3 0-0 5; Sawyer Gibson 1-1 0-0 2; Tate Martin 1-6 0-0 2; Jade Miller 1-9 2-4 4; Kellam Karst 0-0 0-0 0; Cole Morgan 0-1 1-2 1; Jon Vorwald 1-3 0-0 3; Matt Henriksen 4-7 0-2 12; Eric Warkenthien 0-1 1-2 1; Landon Fischbach 0-2 0-0 0.
SDSU (0-0)
Brayden Carlson 9-11 2-4 23; Chad White 5-7 4-5 15; Marcus Heemstra 5-7 1-1 11; Cody Larson 3-6 1-5 7; Jordan Dykstra 3-7 5-6 14; Matt Donlan 0-0 0-0 0; Jake Bittle 3-6 0-0 6; Anders Broman 1-4 1-2 3; Joshua White 2-4 0-0 4; ;Cory Jacobsen 3-4 0-0 7.
Halftime SDSU 48-44. 3-point goals: DWU 17-47 ( Voss 2-6, Bamberg 3-7, Bergh 4-7, Menning 2-4, Uthe 1-2, Vorwald 1-2, Henriksen 4-7) SDSU 8-21 (Carlson 3-4, White 1-3, Dykstra 3-5, Jacobsen 1-2; Rebounds: DWU 27 (Voss 7) SDSU 47; Assists: DWU 16 (Martin 6) SDSU 12 (Carlson 3, White 3) Steals: DWU 3 (Martin, Warkenthein, Menning) SDSU 2 (White, Dykstra) Turnovers: DWU 7, SDSU 12
Total fouls: DWU 20, SDSU 17; Foul outs: DWU Jalen Voss. SDSU none.
