Dawson Bounces Back with Big Road Win
After losing their first game of the season Thursday night on the road by a shot in the closing seconds, on Saturday, the last second shot bounced out and gave DCC a 75-72 victory. In a heavyweight matchup of the top two teams in the Mon-Dak Conference, the Dawson Community College Buccaneers went on numerous runs, but the North Dakota State College of Science Wildcats answered each of them. Early in the game, the Buccaneers went on a 15-0 run to lead 32-14, but the Wildcats answered with a 14-2 run of their own to get back into it. DCC used 56% shooting from the field and 75% shooting from 3-point range in the opening half to gain a 37-33 advantage at the break. Jajuan Tot scored 13 points, including 3 3-pointers in the first half. NDSCS only shot 38% from the field.
In the second half the Buccaneers led throughout. The Wildcats tied it up four different times, but they never got over the hump to take the lead. Clutch free throw shooting from Riley Spoonhunter and Michael Jok held off the late rally from NDSCS. In the final 10 seconds, with Dawson clinging to a 3-point lead, NDSCS launched a 3 very similar to the one on Thursday that handed Dawson their first loss, but this time it didn't go in and Dawson escaped with the narrow road victory.
Buccaneer Coach Joe Peterson shared his perspective, "It was an incredibly tough, hard-fought close game. They are an outstanding program and a really good team. They didn't shoot it like they normally do from 3 point range tonight. I'd like to think at least some of that had to do with our defense and not letting them establish a rhythm. Our guys really laid it all on the line and made the plays they needed to for the win."
The Buccaneers were led by Michael Jok's (6'3 RFr Guard) 20 points (10-12 FT), 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. Riley Spoonhunter (6'3 FR Guard) added 14 points (4-8 FG) points and 3 rebounds, while JaJuan Tot (5'10 FR Guard) scored 12 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, and dished out 4 assists. The efficient shooting of the Buccaneers helped them down the stretch, as they shot 48% (24-50) from the field and 53% (8-15) from the 3pt line.
ND Science's JaQuan Sanders-Smith (6'1 FR Guard) scored 18 points (6-8 FG; 2/3 3pt). Ty Horner (6'9 SO Forward) added 16 points to go along with 7 rebounds. The Wildcats' limited turnovers (14) and their free-throw shooting (13-15) kept the game within their reach.
The win moves Dawson to 10-1 on the season and drops NDSCS to 8-3. The same two teams will square off again tomorrow afternoon for the second game of their back-to-back. It will be the final regular season matchup between the two teams.
