Sagan Osborne | Dickinson State Sports Information Director
DICKINSON – Four Blue Hawks scored in double figures, led by John Evans' 18 points and 6 rebounds, to carry Dickinson State to a gritty 84-78 win over Dakota State in Scott Gym on Friday evening.
Jaiden Wright, filling in for injured PG Kose Egbule, had a career night for the Blue Hawks, scoring a career-high 17 points, on just 3-6 shooting, and chipping in four rebounds and four assists. Josiah Haaland scored 14 points for DSU on perfect 7-7 shooting, and Gus Wright chipped in 10 off the bench for the balanced Dickinson State attack.
The Blue Hawks were able to withstand a red-hot shooting night from Dakota State, as the Trojans shot 30-54 (56 percent), thanks in large part to a 36-29 advantage on the boards and knocking down 21 free throws to just 12 for the visitors from Madison, S.D. Coming off a weekend of two heartbreaking losses on the road, DSU was able to hold off any DaSU charge late in the game to secure the important home win.
"Super proud of our guys." said head coach Derek Selvig. "Last week we fell apart at the end of both games, and that was a big emphasis for us this week. Closing out games is something our young team is starting to pick up. I'm very proud of every player and coach on our squad."
The Blue Hawks youth is something that has been well documented this season. Coach Selvig's squad features no seniors, and the starting lineup regularly features a large number of sophomores. The team is looking to make some noise in the coming weeks with the North Star Athletic Association conference tournament just around the corner.
After a late run erased a 35-29 Blue Hawk lead and sent the teams into the halftime break tied at 39, Dickinson State responded with back-to-back Jaiden Wright three-pointers to open the second half and regain control of the game. Numerous times throughout the second 20 minutes the Trojans cut their deficit to a single possession, but each time the Blue Hawks responded with the stops they needed to keep DaSU at bay, never surrendering the lead.
WHATS NEXT
The Blue Hawks will remain home to take on Bellevue University at 5:00 pm on Saturday in Scott Gym.
