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Dickinson State’s season ended today in the first round of the DAC Tournament at the hands of Valley City State, 85-67. The Vikings took an early lead and the margin swelled to 40-25 at the half that the Blue Hawks were unable to overcome. The quarterfinal defeat brought the curtain down on a 10-19 season.
Saajid Yazeed led DSU scorers with 13 points. Sean Burnham (12) and Jeremy Mallard (11) also hit for double digits, while senior Nigel Sims finished with nine points.
VCSU committed only 15 turnovers to DSU’s 22, and also out-rebounded the Hawks 23-22.
Both teams shot 85% from the free throw line, though the Vikings shot 23 of 27 while the Blue Hawks attempted far fewer, but shot just as well (11 of 13). From the field, DSU was a solid 24 of 49 (49%) including 16 of 29 (55%) in the second half when the Hawks poured in 42 points.
VCSU now travels to play Minot State, while in the other semi-final bracket, Jamestown College hosts Black Hills State. Both games will tip-off at 7:00 pm on Wednesday. Beavers Hit Key Shots to Beat Blue Hawks in OT; DAC Tournament Begins
In a thrilling game, that saw several lead changes and an overtime period that came down to the final moments, Dickinson State was edged by Minot State 89-86 tonight at the MSU Dome. Five Blue Hawks hit for double figures in scoring and they shot 28 of 52 (54%) for the game, but it wasn’t enough to turn back the Beavers who made key three-pointers at the end of both regulation and overtime. DSU completes their DAC season with a 4-10 mark.
Sean Burnham led the Hawks with 17 points, Saajid Yazeed and Fred Scheltinga hit for 16, Jeremy Mallard added 11 points and freshman Nathan Lebsock pitched-in an even 10 points. Yazeed was the team’s leading rebounder with eight and DSU out-boarded the Beavers, 35-31. Yazeed and Scheltinga were eight of 11 from the free-throw line and the Blue Hawks shot 22 of 29 (76%) as a team.
There is no rest for the weary as both teams are now assigned the task of getting themselves ready for the DAC Tournament, which begins on Sunday, February 24. DSU will travel to Valley City to play the Vikings with tip-off slated for 3:00 pm.
In the two earlier DAC games this season, VSCU swept the Hawks. To make the outcome different, DSU will have to get offensive--the Vikings have the stingiest defense in the conference yielding only 65.3 points per game and holding their foes to a shooting accuracy of just .398. The Hawks scored only 104 points in those two games and were right at 39% field goal shooting accuracy.
Mike Stowman (#24) is their leading scorer, hitting for 12.4 points each game, while Tyler Macomber (#31) is the season’s second biggest threat at 10.8 ppg.
The Blue Hawks will counter with the stepped-up game of Scheltinga. He has hit for 11, 15 and 16 points since DSU’s last meeting with VCSU and he is also 14 of 18 (78%) on his free-throws in those three games though below 60% on the year. The Hawks defensive unit will have to keep the heat on the Viking shooters. DSU allowed VCSU 71 and then 66 total points this year. These are respectable numbers but the Blue Hawks will need to do even better this Sunday. Trojans Handled by Hawks; Comets 2nd Half Surge Proves Decisive
Two well-played halves against the Dakota State Friday night put the Hawks back on the right track, 62-50. They were led by balanced scoring and consistent shooting, but Mayville State kept DSU from earning a weekend sweep as they outscored the Blue Hawks, 74-69 on Saturday. DSU was hurt by a defense that yielded 48 points after the half to the Comets and enabled them to overcome a 13-point Hawk lead.
Fred Scheltinga dropped in 11 points against the Trojans. He had plenty of company; Sean Burnham added 12 more but the Blue Hawks were topped by Nate Lebsock and Saajid Yazeed who both poured in 15. Lebsock’s rainbows from the deep perimeter were finding the net, four out of five of them to be exact, and he also dished out four assists. Yazeed led DSU with six rebounds.
From the floor, the Blue Hawks were 21 of 45 for the game (47%) including 12 of 23 (52%) in the second frame. DSU took a six-point halftime bulge, 29-23, and doubled it to 12 in the game’s most critical moments.
Mayville State presented different problems that DSU lacked answers. Last season the Comets got hot at the right time and made a run to the national championship game, before being overturned by 18 points. There is some residual confidence that MSU possesses that DSU will have to earn and after losing in their first contest at Scott Gym by a single point, a five-point margin of defeat this weekend, especially after holding such a sizable advantage at the break, must be hard for DSU to accept.
Scheltinga had another stellar game. He led the Hawks with 15 points but also had five rebounds and made all five of his free-throws. Senior Nigel Sims had 13 points and didn’t miss a shot: he dropped in all four field goals--two from beyond the three-point arc--and all three of his free-throws. Yazeed (12 points) and Lebsock (11) were again major offensive contributors. Yazeed was also good for six assists and five rebounds.
As a team, Dickinson State made exactly half of their 42 shots from the field and 21 of 24 (88%) from the free throw line.
DSU slipped to 4-9 in the DAC and will conclude their conference season at Minot State on Wednesday at 6:30 pm. Click here for More Articles >> For more information call (701)-483-2100 |
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