DSU Men's Basketball Team Unable to Hand Hastings Their First Loss

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Dakota State returned to men’s basketball regular-season action last night, and they could not hand Hastings their first setback of the season, falling short by the score of 74-64.

DSU was able to hold Hastings scoreless in the first two-plus minutes of the game, but after the Trojans got out to a 6-2 lead, the Broncos went on a 13-0 outburst. Hastings maintained their double-digit lead for the rest of the first half, leading by as many as 16 points.

The Broncos took a 42-29 lead into the half.

The Trojans started the second half with a 9-2 scoring surge to trim their deficit into single digits. However, shortly afterwards, Hastings went on an 8-0 scoring run to regain their double-digit lead at 52-38.

Hastings maintained their control, recording their biggest lead of the game at 63-44 with 9:26 remaining after Tyrique McMurrin hit a 3-pointer. Dakota State went on a late scoring run, closing with a 20-11 run, though that wouldn’t be enough to edge out Hastings as the Broncos went on to win 74-64.

DSU outscored HC 35-32 in the final twenty minutes of the game, highlighted by a blazing 59.1 percent from the field (13-of-22 field goals) by the Trojans. The Broncos shot 43.3 percent in the second half (13-of-30 field goals).

Deshawn Kelly scored 13 points off the bench for Dakota State. He also had two assists and a steal. Chris Morales added 11 points on his 5-of-8 field goals. He stole the ball twice. Sam Muller tallied 10 points and six rebounds.

Dakota State shot 42.4 percent overall from the field (25-of-59 field goals). Hastings was 49.2 percent from the field (30-of-61 field goals). Both teams shot 5-of-20 from the 3-point arc.

The Trojans dropped their overall record to 2-3. Hastings, meanwhile, remained undefeated in eight games this season.

DSU stays on the road this weekend when they play in the two-day Sam Milanovich Classic against members of the Frontier Conference. The Trojans kick off the tournament Friday evening versus Rocky Mountain at 6pm.