DICKINSON - The Blue Hawks (2-7) shot a blistering 58 percent from the field, and 46 percent from deep, to take down Montana Western (5-4), 81-71, in the nightcap of day one of the 2022 Sam Milanovich Classic in Dickinson.
It was Dickinson State's sixth consecutive game against a Frontier Conference opponent, and after a handful of close losses, they were able to finish with a win in front of their home crowd. Gus Wright led the way with a season-high 20 points on 8-13 shooting, as he also pulled down six rebounds and had two assists. After Trey Hladky misfired on a three-pointer on the first DSU possession, the Blue Hawks made their next six shots, getting three-pointers from Wright and John Evans, and a dunk from Tyce Dahlberg along the way. The run put DSU up 14-6. After a quick 5-0 run by the Bulldogs cut the lead to 14-11 when the Blue Hawks finally missed a shot, Dahlberg got the team right back on track connecting from deep and extending the lead back to six. DSU took a 19-13 lead on a basket by Evans with 13:24 left in the half, but UMW responded by scoring the next 10 points to take a 23-19 lead with 11:25 left before halftime. A three by Hladky and a bucket by Evans put Dickinson State back in front for a possession before Montana Western took the lead with a basket of their own. The Blue Hawks got the lead back on two Evan's free throws before going on a 19-10 run to end the half up 45-35.
Dickinson State shot 18-28 in the first half, including 7-12 from deep, to build their lead. Unfortunately, the start of the second half saw the hosts go cold, as the Bulldogs battled back to tie the game at 49-49 with 14:04 left in the game. The teams traded baskets for four minutes before UMW took a four point lead with 10:30 to go on a transition layup after a DSU turnover. A Hladky three gave the Blue Hawks the lead after Josiah Haaland scored in the paint to make it a two point game, but the Bulldogs had an answer again, quickly scoring to take a 59-58 lead with 8:50 remaining. Another Gus Wright basket, and a score by Riley Spoonhunter, made it 62-59 Blue Hawks, but again Montana Western battled back, tying the game at 64-64 on a three-pointer with 6:45 left. Hladky answered the call for DSU hitting from deep just in front of the home bench to give DSU a lead they would never relinquish, as the Blue Hawks ended the game on a 17-7 run to end the game. With just 1:10 left in the game, Jaiden Wright scored his only points of the game on a corner three ball, off a pass from Evans, that proved to be the dagger, putting DSU up 77-71.
Kose Egbule joined Wright (20), Evans (14) and Hladky (12) in double figures with 11 points, while Evans had a team high eight rebounds on the night. Dahlberg scored 9 points on 4-5 shooting and also collected five rebounds.
"I was very proud of our effort tonight." said third year head coach Derek Selvig. "Our offense in starting to catch up to our defense and it is fun watching this group play with confidence. Western is a very good team. I am so proud of this group and we are excited to get back at it tomorrow."
WHATS NEXT
The Blue Hawks will conclude the 2022 Sam Milanovich Classic when they take on Rocky Mountain College at 7 pm in Scott Gym on Saturday, November 26.
