CRETE, Neb. — Dakota Wesleyan Men's Basketball squared off against the Doane Tigers down in Nebraska for a GPAC matchup.
Much like their January matchup in Mitchell, Dakota Wesleyan and Doane stayed neck-and-neck on the scoreboard for the entirety of the contest. DWU was able to get things rolling offensively thanks to sophomore guard Tyson Stevenson, who recorded a new career-high of 25 points throughout the contest on a 9-16 (56.3%) clip from the field and went 5-8 (62.5%) from beyond the three-point line. His initial flurry of offense saw him go 4-5 (80%) from the field and a perfect 2-2 from both beyond the arc and at the free-throw line during the first half, and he was assisted on the scoring front by Anthony Riggans, who went on to record eight total points, alongside five rebounds and a steal, by the end of the game. Steele Morgan was also a part of the starting rotation for DWU with seven points and two rebounds. Both teams continued to flip-flop leads, with DWU breaking away with a 34-27 lead before the half, but one final scoring run from Doane gave them a 35-34 lead heading into the locker room. Dakota Wesleyan found an edge on the boards, 42-34 by the end of the game, thanks to the added efforts of Randy Rosenquist Jr., who continues his dominant defensive run towards the end of the regular season. The North Sioux City native also contributed 14 points, three assists, three steals, and two blocks in a well-rounded performance.
The second half saw Stevenson continue to put points on the board, and while he was not as near-perfect as in the first half, he still managed to record 13 points from the field. Off the bench, DWU found production from freshmen forwards Noah Oberfeld and Gavin Hinker, who combined for nine rebounds and eight points between their minutes on the floor. Oberfeld connected on two early threes, while Hinker found most of his production on the statsheet during the second half. Oliver Vincent also recorded four rebounds, four steals, two points, and a block in 32 minutes off the bench, while Andrew Younan recorded a three-point shot to add to the effort. Even with the additional firepower, the hosting Tigers were able to stay in stride with DWU for the remainder of regulation. A made jumpshot with 38 seconds left by Rosenquist Jr. tied the score up at 69-69 at the end of the second half and would push the game into overtime.
Easton Neuendorf and Rosenquist Jr. completely took over in the final stretch, with the two guards responsible for all 15 points scored by Dakota Wesleyan during the overtime period. Neuendorf's eight overtime points were a part of his 17 in total, and the true freshman made an impact across the court all afternoon long, tallying five boards, a team-leading five assists, and a steal by the end of the game. Both athletes went 2-2 from the field and 1-1 from beyond the arc, and the pair went a combined 5-6 from the free-throw line to tip the game in DWU's favor. Dakota Wesleyan claimed the victory in an extended contest, 84-81.
DWU Men's Basketball will be back in action on Wednesday, February 11th, against Waldorf down in Iowa starting at 6:45 PM. See the full 2025-26 schedule here.