Dickinson, N.D. –  An uncharacteristically cold shooting night at home led to a tough home loss for Dickinson State as they fell to NSAA foe Dakota State, 59-53, on Saturday night.

The Blue Hawks shot just 32 percent from the field, and 29 percent from long range, as they were held to just 53 points, well below their season average at home of 88 points per game. John Evans led the team with 12 points while Jake Daniel scored 11 points on perfect 4-4 shooting and pulled down 6 rebounds for a much-needed boost off the bench.

While Daniel went 3-3 from deep, the rest of the team struggled to shooting just 6-28. Despite a rough night on the offensive end, the Blue Hawks entered halftime clinging to a 25-24 lead thanks to a strong defensive effort.

In the second half, however, Dakota State started to create some more easy opportunities, aided significantly by their 45-33 rebounding advantage. Dickinson State continued to take good care of the ball, turning it over just eight times but only shot eight free throws on the night, connecting on just four.