DICKINSON, N.D. – Dickinson State secured its first Frontier Conference win of the season with a dominant 87-60 victory over Bismarck State College on Friday night at Scott Gymnasium.
The Blue Hawks improved to 3-6 overall and 1-2 in conference play, leading wire-to-wire in a complete team performance.
Griffyn Doughty paced Dickinson State with 20 points, going 5-of-12 from the field and 4-of-10 from three-point range. The sophomore guard was also 6-for-6 at the free throw line. Cordell Stinson added 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, while Michael Nance scored 13 off the bench in 16 minutes of action.
"We're proud of our guys for not letting up when things got shaky," said head coach Derek Selvig. "Basketball is a game of runs, and in the second half we focused and stacked some good runs back to back. We are still such an inexperienced team—we know we have a lot more growing to do. Thankful we have a group who is bought in and playing hard for each other."
The Blue Hawks shot 46.3 percent from the field (31-for-67), connected on 12 three-pointers, and converted 13-of-16 free throws (81.3 percent). DSU assisted on 23 of its 31 made field goals and turned the ball over just six times.
Quincy Linton finished with eight points, four assists, and three steals. Jake Daniel added nine points and three assists. Isaiah Vargas recorded five points and a team-high nine rebounds. DC Stewart added five points and four assists off the bench.
Dickinson State never trailed, opening the game on a 13-3 run and building a 41-29 lead by halftime. The Blue Hawks outscored Bismarck State 46-31 in the second half and led by as many as 27. The DSU bench contributed 31 points, and the team held a 32-14 advantage in points in the paint.
Defensively, the Blue Hawks forced 14 turnovers and recorded eight steals, holding the Mystics to 40.8 percent shooting and 30 percent from beyond the arc. Dickinson State won the rebounding battle 38-34.
Houston Davis led Bismarck State (0-7, 0-3 Frontier) with 17 points and seven rebounds. Tristin Davis added 10 points and four assists, and Carter Zeller scored 12 points off the bench.
