MITCHELL, S.D. — No. 16 Dakota Wesleyan Women's Basketball hosted the RV Morningside Mustangs in a clash at the top of the conference.
The Tigers jumped out to a quick start with a 10-0 lead in just under three minutes of play, with Emma Yost kicking off the scoring effort. Yost was one of three Tigers to post 13 points on the day, and the team's overall scoring leader also added three rebounds, three steals, and two assists to her stat line by the end of the contest. Avery Broughton also got involved early, being one of the other DWU players to post 13 points, while recording nine rebounds and a contest-leading three blocks on the day. The early momentum swing gave Dakota Wesleyan a 26-17 lead at the end of the first period, and the Tigers continued their pace while tightening down on defense. The main contributor for the Tigers was Springfield, South Dakota native, Shalayne Nagel, who posted a double-double for the team. Nagel recorded 17 points during the game while going 7-11 (63.6%) from the field, while also being the only player in the contest to record double-digit rebounds with 10 in total. Nagel also recorded three assists, three steals, and a block in an effort that earned her Blarney's Sports Bar & Grill Player of the Game honors. The added firepower pushed DWU to a 48-28 lead at halftime.
The second half saw the Tigers continue to outplay the Mustangs thanks to additional offensive efforts from Rylee Rosenquist in her first start of the season and Taliyah Hayes off the bench. Rosenquist was the third DWU player to post 13 points while leading the team in assists with seven, while Hayes posted 11 points in 22 minutes of play. Jaida Young also contributed five assists, four rebounds, and two points while helping lock down the Mustang attack. The defense continued to stiffle scoring opportunities for Morningside as the offense kept rolling, holding a 71-38 lead at the end of the third period. Isabelle Ellwein had a great showing towards the end of the contest, posting nine points on 3-4 (75%) shooting from three alongside two rebounds in just seven minutes of play, while Maleighya Estes posted six points and six assists, alongside a perfect 4-4 performance from the free-throw line. The Tigers cruised to a 94-53 victory and handed Morningside its first loss of the season while shooting 33-62 (53.2%) from the field and 12-23 (52.2%) from the three-point line.
DWU Women's Basketball will be back in action on Saturday, November 22nd, at 2:00 PM against Midland in the Corn Palace. See the full 2025-26 schedule here.