(Editor's note: DCC Athletics release)
BISMARCK - After playing five straight home games, the DCC Buccaneers found out what it's like to play on the road Thursday night.
In a game that saw 13 lead changes and 7 ties, the Bismarck State Mystics sealed the win with a 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds left to hand Dawson their first loss of the season, 98-95. Dawson’s 27 game winning streak against conference foes was snapped and the loss drops them to 9-1 on the season.
“Bismarck played hard and played well," said Bucs' head coach Joe Peterson. "The biggest difference between the two teams was on the boards. The rebounding battle is usually won by the team that wants it the most and I think they wanted it more than we did tonight. Even in spite of all of that, we had a chance at the end. It’s hard on the road. You have to be extra good and even more solid to overcome the challenges you face. We didn’t deserve to win tonight.”
The Buccaneers were down 10 points with four minutes left, but came roaring back and tied it up at 95 on a 3-pointer from Jajuan Tot with 30 seconds remaining. Dawson almost forced two turnovers on the Mystics final possession, but Jerrick Baines let it fly from deep and hit nothing but net. The Buccaneers didn’t get a shot off on their final possession.
Bismarck dominated on the boards all night with a 45-34 advantage, including 19 offensive rebounds, resulting in 19 second chance points. Cobe Begger had an outstanding performance with 32 points and 14 rebounds before fouling out.
Dawson had five guys in double digits led by Michael Jok’s 12 points. He also grabbed 7 rebounds and dished out 4 assists. Reggie Martin and Kennedy Brown both had 11 points while Jajuan Tot and Riley Spoonhunter had 10 points each. Two others had 9 points and eleven players scored for Dawson who had 56 points off the bench.
The win moves Bismarck State to 4-6 on the season.
DCC travels to Wahpeton, North Dakota, to face second place North Dakota State College of Science on Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. MST.
