DICKINSON, N.D. – Like any sporting event, it is always more entertaining when the game comes down to the final shot – and that's exactly what happened on Friday night from Scott Gym. With .4 seconds left on the clock, Dickinson State's Ajdin Toskic hit a jumper to defeat the visiting Saints of Presentation College, 83-82. With the win, the Blue Hawks improve to 8-12 overall and a first-place spot with a 5-1 record in conference standings.
How it Happened –
DSU came out hot during the first three minutes of the first half as John Evans knocked down a bucket from range before teammate Cobe Begger was fouled after his own three-pointer to give them an early seven-point lead. After a PC bucket by Denzel McDuffey, Jalon Tinnin and Cobe Begger pegged on another five points to extend the Blue Hawk lead to ten – the largest lead either team would have in the game. In the final minutes of the first half, both teams stayed relatively even as the Blue Hawk held the slight one-point (35-34) advantage after the first half of play.
Although the Blue Hawks turned the ball over eight times in the final twenty minutes of play, DSU stayed disciplined from the offensive side and continued to make buckets to keep themselves in the game. With 5:13 left in the game, PC's Captain Whitlock and Maximo Guilermo knocked down a pair of buckets to give PC the three-point lead. DSU's John Evans wasted no time as he drilled a bucket from beyond the arc to tie things at 65-65. Over the next three possessions, PC outscored the Blue Hawks 5-1 to extend their lead to four with 2:38 left on the clock.
After a pair of free-throws by DSU's Trey Hladky, Ajdin Toskic tied things up with a jumper with over a minute left on the clock. After a bucket by PC's Guilermo, DSU's Travon Hamilton pushed the game into over-time with a bucket of his own.
With 5:00 on the clock in overtime, PC started the scoring off with a made free-throw off the hands of Maximo Guilermo. John Evans responded with a bucket of his own to give DSU the one-point advantage. After both teams traded buckets over the next three minutes, Hamilton nailed a jumper to tie things at 81-81 with 1:12 left on the clock. However, after a big miss by PC's Dwight Felton at the line, PC was only able to convert 1-of-2 free-throws for the 82-81 advantage with 19 seconds left. But with literally no time left on the clock, the Blue Hawks knew they couldn't lose in their home gym to conference foe, Presentation College. After Hamilton drove the ball to the hoop, he dished it out to John Evans who had two PC defenders closing in on him. Like the smart player he is, Evans found an open Ajdin Toskic in the corner and drove to the loop and aired the ball high over a PC defender for the one-point lead. Unable to get the ball down-court, DSU locked in their fifth North Star conference win as they sit on-top of the NSAA standings.
From the Box Score –
Four Blue Hawks scored in double-figures with John Evans leading the way with 17. Teammate Cobe Begger added 12 of his own, while Travon Hamilton and Jalon Tinnin added 11 and ten, respectively. From the glass, Josiah Haaland and Begger grabbed a team-high eight boards each, while Trey Hladky dished out a team-high three assists.
As a team, the Blue Hawks shot 40.7% from the field, 40.0% from beyond the arc, and 73.0% from the line. DSU added 47 rebounds, four blocks, three steals, and ten assists in the win.
From the Coach –
"A lot of toughness shown by our group tonight," stated DSU's head men's basketball coach Derek Selvig. "It was a very physical game and we had a couple guys struggle to get the ball in the hoop but the best part about this group is how deep we are. We had a lot of guys step up and contribute. Just another great team win by our guys."
