 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Senior night, a formal acknowledgement of the dedication of Ryan Ernst, Branden Thomas, Anton Neff, Brian Lebsock and Nate Williams, turned into a cruise-control 77-51 win over Mayville State. The game was a much tighter 28-25 DSU lead at the half.
Brian Lebsock’s shooting and floor game stood out. His 19 points on seven-of-11 shooting (three-of-five on his three-point shots) and five assists led the Hawks to their seventh Dakota Athletic win against four losses and now puts DSU in a three-way tie for second place with three games remaining.
Lebsock has played well this season but few times has he played with such complete confidence. Younger brother Nate also had 19 points and Josh Henry put in 14 more as the only three to score in double digits.
Neither Mayville State nor Dickinson State shot well in the opening frame. After half however, DSU ratcheted up their game and pulled away from the Comets. The Blue Hawks dropped in 14-of-26 (54%) in the second half, while MSU struggled to a nine-of-27 (33%) performance. The Hawks finished by making 24-of-53 (45%) while the Comets converted just 21-of-58 (39%) on the night.
DSU also won the battle on the boards. Thirty-five total they grabbed to 28 by the Comets. Matt Lee pulled in seven of them to lead the team and Branden Thomas and Henry had five. Ryan Ernst and Nate Lebsock both collected four boards.
Ernst had four assists to complement team leader Brian Lebsock’s five. DSU had 20 on the game compared to just nine for MSU.
The Blue Hawks still trail Black Hill State in the standings but are log jammed with Valley City State and Minot State, making the home clash with the Beavers next Wednesday night at home a little more interesting.
Blue Hawks Pull Away from Trojans in 2nd Half, Win 63-46
Dickinson State (11-12, 6-4) topped Dakota State tonight in Scott Gym by a 63-46 margin. It was a nice win for the Blue Hawks on a night when DSU promoted Cancer Awareness. It also helped greatly in DSU’s fortunes in the Dakota Athletic Conference hunt.
Nathan Lebsock and Matt Lee were the high scores for DSU. Nate had 17 points and made five of his seven free throws in 35 minutes of court time. Lee had 16 tallies on a perfect six-of-six from the field. His six rebounds tied him with team honors, Brian Lebsock being the other board crasher. Lebsock also dished out a team best nine assists, leading the Hawks to 16 on the night.
DSU held a slim 27-23 lead at the break but broke it open thereafter. Thirty-six Hawk points went through the hoop in the game’s last 20 minutes, though the Trojans could only manage 23.
The Blue Hawks shot 21-of-41 (51%) for the game, but cranked up 13-of-21 (62%) in the second half. Senior Ryan Ernst also had double digits in scoring, finishing with 10 and he added three rebounds. Split on the Road Keeps DSU in Reach of Four DAC Teams
DSU’s weekend split kept them in the thick of the DAC standings. Their 5-4 conference mark puts them just one game off the pace with three games remaining.
The Blue Hawks defeated Valley City State 81-70 on Friday night and then were upended by Jamestown College 67-61 on Saturday.
It was a Lebsock pair, Nate and Brian that paved the way against the Vikings. Nate hit for a game-high 28 points and Brian scored 16. They also proved themselves from the free-throw line where Nate’s only miss in 12 tries was the single blemish in a combined 17-of-18 (94%) family affair.
Josh Henry was the team’s leading rebounder. His 11 grabs helped DSU take control of the board game 34-22. Henry was good for seven points too and one assist.
On Saturday, the Hawks icy shooting in the first half, made it difficult to overtake the Jimmies. DSU tried of course, but their 38-point effort in the 2nd half fell six-points short. Nate Lebsock was the team’s top score again, this time with 21 tallies. He was solid again from the line where he made seven-of-eight efforts.
Henry backed-up his teammate with 12 points and had four more boards. DSU shot only 10-of-29 (35%) in the opening frame while JC’s 15-of-25 (60%) success rate plowed a 36-23 bulge at the break.
DSU’s defense stepped up to the challenge. They forced 15 Jimmie turnovers and held their foe to just one-of-10 (10%) on their shots from behind the three-point arc. JC has hit 35 % (150-of-428) on the year and this Blue Hawk pressure was a major reason that DSU had a chance to turn the fate of the game into their favor. Jamestown’s free-throw shooting, especially in the second half rescued them. The Jimmies sank 20-of-22 (91%) on the day with 15 makes down the stretch.
DSU hosts Dakota State and Mayville State this weekend before finishing the DAC season with a Wednesday home game versus Minot State on February 10th.
Click here for More Articles >> For more information call (701)-483-2100 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
