Story by
The Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D.
Wolves hold off DWU men in exhibition contest
- Story byThe Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D.
- Wolves hold off DWU men in exhibition contest
Oct. 25—MITCHELL — Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball made a hard charge in the second half, tying the game with less than 6 minutes to go but Northern State came out on top for an 84-71 exhibition victory at the Corn Palace.
After the Wolves led by as many as 17 points with 18 minutes to go, the game was tied 66-all with 5:35 remaining, thanks to a 15-5 DWU run to get back in the game. But once it was tied, Northern State went on an 8-0 run to widen the lead again and put it out of reach in the final minutes.
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The preseason game marked the return of former DWU coach Matt Wilber as the Wolves' head coach, winning 224 games in 11 seasons as Tigers head coach from 2013 to 2024. He's in his second season as the NSU head coach.
DWU newcomer Braelyn Dale, who previously played in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference at Minot State, scored a team-high 19 points on 7-for-8 shooting and had seven rebounds. Tyson Stevenson scored 18 points and Oliver Vincent tallied eight points. Easton Neuendorf had six points and eight assists for the Tigers, who shot 42% from the field, were 6-for-21 on 3-pointers and converted 13 of 20 free throws.
Northern State, which led 39-26 at halftime thanks to a late 12-3 run, had a game-high 26 points from Avery Christensen. Nic Book scored 21 points and Marshawn Smith had 13 points and nine rebounds for the Wolves, who shot 55% from the field, made 9-of-28 3-pointers and converted 13 of 16 free throws.
NSU, which was picked to finish 10th overall in the NSIC and third in the league's North Division, opens the season on Nov. 9 hosting Chadron State (Neb.) in Aberdeen.
DWU will play its first game of the season at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30, as the Tigers take on Bethany (Kan.) in the inaugural CorTrust Classic at the Corn Palace.
