BELLEVUE, Neb. - Dickinson State came up short in a high-scoring non-conference matchup Friday afternoon, falling 92-87 to Mission (Mo.) at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Downtown Classic hosted by Bellevue University.
Tied 43-43 at halftime, the Blue Hawks (1-2) were edged 49-44 over the final 20 minutes by a hot-shooting Patriots squad that shot 57.1 percent from the field in the second half. Najee Williams led all scorers with 31 points for Mission (1-3), including four 3-pointers and 16 second-half points.
Griffyn Doughty paced Dickinson State with 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Cordell Stinson posted a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Nate Visentin added 16 points and eight boards. The Blue Hawks finished with a 41-37 edge on the glass and scored 40 points in the paint but struggled from deep, converting just 6-of-28 attempts from 3-point range (21.4 percent).
"We've had a really hard time defending in our first three games," DSU head coach Derek Selvig said. "It's early in the season and we feel optimistic we can figure it out. Luckily we have a quick turnaround tomorrow to try and do a better job defensively."
Dickinson State led by five at 21-16 midway through the first half and remained within striking distance for most of the second half. However, Williams gave Mission the lead for good at 66-64 with just over nine minutes remaining, and the Patriots used a 10-4 run to build separation.
DSU closed to within three several times in the final five minutes but never managed to fully close the gap. The Blue Hawks finished 21-for-32 at the line (65.6 percent), while the Patriots converted 16-of-19 (84.2 percent).
DC Stewart added 11 points off the bench for Dickinson State, and Weston Zacher chipped in eight. The Blue Hawks' reserves totaled 20 points but were outscored 47-20 by Mission's bench.
Mission shot 49.2 percent overall and hit 12-of-24 from three-point range. Justin Gill added 13 points before fouling out, and Clifford Barrow contributed 14 points on four made threes. Lawson Beem finished with 11 points and five rebounds.
The game featured nine ties and three lead changes. Dickinson State forced 12 turnovers and scored 16 points off those takeaways but allowed 14 second-chance points on 10 offensive boards by the Patriots.
