Dakota Wesleyan men hold off late push to win nonconference finale in Wisconsin
Dec. 30—LA CROSSE, Wis. — Playing its final nonconference contest of the season, the Dakota Wesleyan men's basketball team closed out 2022 on a high note.
Locked in a tie game with less than two minutes to play, the Tigers scored seven of the final 11 points, earning a 78-75 road win over Viterbo University (Wis.) on Friday evening.
DWU crept out to an early nine-point edge, but the V-Hawks pushed back, even taking a brief one-basket lead late in the first half.
The Tigers shot 36.8% from the field (compared to Viterbo's 44.4%) in the opening 20 minutes but used 10 offensive rebounds and 10 points off turnovers to stake themselves to a 38-35 halftime lead. Kallan Herman and Blaze Lubbers combined for 27 points on 10-for-17 (58.8%) shooting to pace DWU in the early-going.
Though the Tigers pulled ahead by as many as 12 points (52-40) early in the second half, the V-Hawks chipped away and had the game tied at 71 with 1:45 to play. But kick-started by a Koln Oppold jumper and Jakob Dobney 3-pointer, DWU closed the game with a 7-4 final push.
Herman and Lubbers finished with 25 and 21 points, respectively, to power DWU. Dobney added 15 points, all on 3-pointers, while Diang Gatluak recorded a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double. Oppold's late jump shot was his only points, but the Tigers' leading scorer contributed a game-high 11 assists with seven rebounds.
Five V-Hawks, including four starters, scored in double figures, led by Dakota Mannel's 15 points, three rebounds and two assists. Ben Olson added 14 points along with 11 each from Robert Cunitz and Jack Monis and 10 from Alex King. Cunitz also led Viterbo (7-7) in rebounds and assists with six and three, respectively.
DWU (7-7, 3-3 GPAC) returns to conference play with a home date against Briar Cliff on at 7:45 p.m. on Jan. 4 inside the Corn Palace.
