Trojans Tie Last Seasons Win Total; End Losing Spell with Weekend Sweep of Valley City State & Dickinson State

Getty Images

The Trojan Men’s Basketball team (12-7 overall, 2-1 NSAA) hang on in both weekend road games, taking down Valley City 81-72 and Dickinson State 59-53.

Dakota State came out on top for the back-to-back slate in North Dakota. Though the points didn’t come in bunches, they got it done. This was actually their second-lowest point total of the season, with the lowest being in their third game of the season – an 88-57 loss to Dordt.

Friday

It started off on Friday with the Mison Coilton show. He was aggressive from the opening tip and was pivotal on both ends of the floor. The junior forward posted career-highs in scoring (26), rebounds (10) and field goals made (12). His double-double powered the Trojans to their first North Star Athletic Association victory of the year.

Two other Trojans saw double figures as well. Brayden Pankonen finished with 15 points and Kenny Haynes added 10 off the bench. DSU scored 48 points inside the paint compared to just 22 points by VCSU. As a team, they shot 47.8% from the field – their fourth highest mark on the year.

The Vikings had their moments and always kept things within reach for themselves. Having three players in double digits as well. With Jerome Washington leading the Vikings posting 16 points – including a pair of late game threes that kept the Vikings alive.

Saturday

Against the Blue Hawks, they had a different situation on their hands. This Dickinson State team took down Bellevue to open NSAA play. Which made it all the more interesting going into the game.

The Trojans trailed going into the halftime break, but managed to hold them to just 30.3% in the second half. DSU earned their first win on Dickinson State’s home court since Feb. 12, 2021. Dakota State won in most all categories in the game.

DSU held the Blue Hawks to 32.3% shooting from the field and only 29% from beyond the arc. The Trojans were mostly sharp on defense and that’s part of why it was such a low scoring affair.

Leading in scoring for the Trojans was Pankonen with 11 points and shot a perfect 3-for-3 from the field, two those shots being threes. Only one other Trojan was in double figures and it was Coilton with 10 points. He also reeled in nine rebounds for another near double-double in his limited minutes due to early foul trouble.