DICKINSON - Four Blue Hawks scored in double figures, led by 19 from John Evans, and Dickinson State cruised to an 80-53 home win over Waldorf University on Friday night. The win moves DSU to 3-1 in North Star play and 7-10 overall.
Josiah Haaland scored on back-to-back possessions to start the game, and Evans added a three-pointer, to put DSU up 7-0 before two minutes has elapsed. The Warriors answered back with a 7-0 run of their own to knot the game at 7-7, but a Jaiden Wright bucket gave the lead back to Dickinson State a minute later. The game remained close until a 19-8 run closed the half for the Blue Hawks and sent them to the locker room up 37-25.
Kose Egbule extended the lead to 43-27 with a triple early in the second half, but WU refused to go away, cutting the lead to 51-40 with 11:57 left in the game. After a basket by Gus Wright stretched the lead back to 13, the Blue Hawks delivered the dagger. Wright poked the ball away from Waldorf's Khyle Washington and it was picked up on the break by sophomore Jake Daniel. On the break, Daniel tossed the ball off the glass to a following Wright who slammed home a thunderous dunk putting the Blue Hawks up 55-40 and dashing any hopes the visitors had for a comeback. The teams traded baskets for a while and the lead hovered around 13 points until Evans scored seven straight DSU points, and Christian Murphy followed with eight straight of his own, to balloon the lead to 80-53 at the final buzzer.
"I was super proud of the effort tonight," said head coach Derek Selvig, who's squad has now won three consecutive North Star Athletic Association contests. "Our guys stayed focused and played really hard on defense. It's really nice to see our guys use patience on offense and move the ball. They are tough to guard when they share it. Tomorrow is going to be another tough one and we need to enjoy this one but get back to work in the morning."
DSU shared the ball well, assisting on 18 of 30 made baskets and committing just 12 turnovers on the night. The Blue Hawks won the rebounding battle 34-27 and lit up the nets, shooting 56 percent (30-54) from the field for the game. Gus Wright and Murphy both had 14 points off the bench for DSU, while Kose Egbule scored 12 points, pulled down four boards, and dished two assists in another strong all-around effort. Evans added eight rebounds to go with his 19 points to lead the team.
WHATS NEXT
The Blue Hawks will look to keep their win-streak going when they take on Viterbo University at 5:00 pm MT in Scott Gym on Saturday. The V-Hawks defeated Valley City State, 89-82, on Friday night.
