A Game-Winning Three Lifts Trojans To Victory; Defeat Tigers, 77-76
The Dakota State Men’s Basketball team played in a thriller with Dakota Wesleyan and came out on top at the buzzer, 77-76 in the DSU Fieldhouse.
A back and forth contest out of the gate ended the only way it could have, with absolute chaos and a shot in the final seconds for the win.
The Tigers Randy Rosenquist Jr knocked down a tough contested fadeaway shot from the right elbow over Uzo Dibiamaka. Giving DWU the lead with 3.3 seconds remaining. Darren Tighe used his last timeout following the basket. Inbounding full court, Mison Coilton tried to air mail it to Uhana Ochan, but it was knocked out by DWU with 1.2 seconds remaining.
Brayden Pankonen, at just 5’9” and shortest guy in the game, was inbounding for the Trojans for the final shot attempt. Pankonen saw a wide open Dibiamaka on the right wing for a catch-and-shoot for the win and he knocked it down as time expired to give the Trojans the win! Snapping an 11-game skid against the Tigers.
The game had 18 lead changes, nine ties. The Trojans only led by as many as seven points DWU’s biggest lead in the game was five points.
DSU’s win streak extends to six in a row. The longest streak since the 2015-2016 season when that team railed off nine straight wins.
The Trojans were led in scoring by Dibiamaka who posted 14 points. It was quite a night for Dibiamaka who hit season-high marks in all categories, excluding steals. All in just his second game as a Trojan after missing the first seven contests. Along with Dibiamaka, five different Trojans were in double figures. Japjit Gill scored 13 points of his own, Coilton added 12 points and Emmanuel Akpan and Josh Lewis both had 10 points.
Coilton, even in limited/staggered minutes due to foul trouble, led DSU in rebounds with seven. Lewis, who was also in foul trouble, led the Trojans in assists with three.
Next Matchup
Next up, the Trojans will hit the road to compete in the Fairfield Inn by Marriott Bruin Classic. Where they will face Harris-Stowe State (Mo.) on Friday and Ozark Christian (Mo.) on Saturday. Both will be neutral site games.
