MADISON – Trey Hladky had a season-high 17 points, and Tyce Dahlberg and Josiah Haaland both chipped in 13, to lead Dickinson State (6-10, 2-1) past Dakota State, 81-70, to complete a perfect conference road weekend.
The Blue Hawks jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead on two John Evans free throws and a Dahlberg three before a 6-0 Dakota State run forced DSU to take their first timeout of the game with 16:43 left in the half. A Kose Egbule basket on the ensuing possession gave the Blue Hawks the lead again and they held that lead for much of the half until used an 8-0 run to take a 28-25 lead with just under six minutes to go before halftime. Again, the Blue Hawks had an answer, rebounding to take a 39-36 lead into the break.
In the second half, Dickinson State saw their lead grow steadily, taking a 12-point lead, 52-40 on a three-pointer from Egbule just over six minutes into the half. The Trojans had another run in them, getting back to within 58-53, but the Blue Hawks answered right back pushing their lead to a game-high 13, 66-53, on a basket by Jaiden Wright. Every time the hosts tried to make a comeback, DSU had an answer, and a John Evans dunk in traffic with less than a minute to go proved to be the exclamation point in an impressive road win for Dickinson State.
"Phenomenal effort by our team," said head coach Derek Selvig. "Road trips in this conference are long grueling. Our guys showed a lot of heart in both games this weekend. Beating two well coached teams on the road is something our guys should be proud of."
Egbule put together another strong all-around game for the Blue Hawks scoring nine points and adding in five assists and four rebounds. Christian Murphy went 3-3 from the field, scoring seven points off the bench in 17 strong minutes. Evans just missed another double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds.
WHATS NEXT
The Blue Hawks will look to continue their winning streak when they return home for their NSAA home openers and take on Waldorf University and Viterbo University on Friday-Saturday, January 13-14.
