MITCHELL, S.D. – Three players reached double figures, including a game-high 13 points from freshman Lacey Sprakel, and the Dakota Wesleyan University women’s basketball program completed the season sweep of in-state rival Mount Marty University with a 68-39 victory on Sunday afternoon from the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D. Dakota Wesleyan outscored its Great Plains Athletic Conference foe, 22-8, in the first quarter and rolled to its 16th win of the 2021-22 campaign.
HOW IT HAPPENED
DWU jumped out to a decisive edge, 10-0, in the early going following a layup by Sprakel and a 3-pointer from Tiger (16-4, 8-4 GPAC) junior Rynn Osthus, who connected off an assist from Kaylee Kirk. Sprakel, the Crofton, Neb., native finished the game 4-of-9 from the field along with six rebounds.
After a pair of 3-pointers by Mount Marty, the DWU advantage reached 14, 22-8, at the end of the first quarter. Jada Campbell finished near the rim while fellow senior Natalie Gottlob knocked down a pair of free throws. Campbell also scored in double figures with 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting as Dakota Wesleyan knocked down 16 free throws in the contest, and the Tigers looked to push the momentum.
An Osthus 3-pointer midway through the second frame forced a Mount Marty timeout as Dakota Wesleyan now controlled a 29-10 lead. Osthus, who has now reached 10-or-more points in four-straight games, tallied 11 points including a pair of made triples. Out of the timeout, Morgan Edelman converted a jumper, though the Lancers (2-18, 1-12 GPAC) ensued with eight of the final 10 points to close out the second quarter.
Dakota Wesleyan, who narrowly outscored MMU in the second quarter, 11-10, maintained a 33-18 lead at the intermission.
Kirk, the senior point guard, kicked off the third quarter with a steal and layup while Sprakel followed with two more makes from the charity stripe. The lead hovered at 19 in favor of the Tigers before a layup from Campbell off a dish from Matti Reiner. Reiner, who finished with nine points and a team-high five assists, pushed the advantage to 43-22 with just over three minutes remaining until the fourth quarter while DWU registered 18 assists on the afternoon.
After claiming a 16-10 advantage in the third period, Dakota Wesleyan denied any chance for a comeback by the Lancers in the fourth stanza. Reiner drilled back-to-back baskets while Kirk notched multiple steals. The 5-foot-10 Tiger led the Dakota Wesleyan in steals with six while she also managed seven points and seven rebounds.
A late layup by Osthus, and four-points from Grace Fryda helped close the 68-39 home win as Dakota Wesleyan completes the season sweep of MMU and has won 14 of the last 15 in the series. DWU outrebounded Mount Marty, 44-27, and held the Lancers to just 22.8% from the floor.
UP NEXT
Head coach Jason Christensen and the Tigers hit the road next weekend with a doubleheader in Nebraska beginning with Hastings College at 5 p.m. on Friday from Lynn Farrell Arena in Hastings, Neb.
