(Editor's note: DCC Athletics release)
BISMARCK, ND - Seven Buccaneers scored in double figures as the Dawson Community College basketball men beat United Tribes Technical College 92-82 in Bismarck on Monday night. The win improves DCC’s record to 15-3 on the season and 7-2 in conference play.
The first half saw 10 ties and 15 lead changes as the two teams fought back and forth. The Thunderbirds rode the hot shooting of Jayce Archambault (3-6 on 3’s) and Jordan Lebeau (3-4 on 3’s) through the opening twenty minutes. Dawson did their damage from the inside, shooting 16-27 from 2-point range and 12-17 from the free throw line. The Buccaneers took the lead with 14 seconds left on free throws from Joe Mpoyo to take a narrow 50-49 advantage going into half-time.
At the start of the second half, Dawson held them scoreless for the first four minutes as they went on an 11-0 run to take control of the game. They eventually built a 74-58 lead before United Tribes went on a 20-4 run, fueled by the hot shooting of Lebeau who connected from 25 feet to tie it up at 78 with five minutes to go. Reggie Martin answered with a couple of free throws for DCC. UTTC tied it up again at 80 with 4:06 remaining. Cordell Stinson made two free throws to break the tie for Dawson and the Bucs’ defense tightened up again, holding UTTC to only two points the rest of the way as the visitors secured the hard fought victory. The T-birds shot 13-32 from the 3 point line and Dawson only went 3-23, but the Bucs outscored them by 18 from the free throw line and forced 21 turnovers in the game.
“They are a really tough team, especially at home,” commented Dawson Coach Joe Peterson. “They’ve already beat the top team in the conference and had their sights set on knocking us off. I think our guys battled hard. It was a tough shooting night, but we still found a way to win. It’s nice to be able to play the next day after a loss and get that bad taste out of your mouth.”
All ten players who played got in the scoring column for Dawson and seven reached double digits including Jalen Tot, Reggie Martin, DeAngelo Horn, Joe Mpoyo, Michael Jok, Cordell Stinson and Kennedy Brown. Brown also snagged 11 rebounds and Jalen Tot dished out 7 assists. Lebeau and Sylvester Union both scored 17 points to lead the T-Birds.
The Buccaneers will get a few days off and return home to host Miles Community College on Sunday afternoon at 4:00 pm. The game was originally scheduled for last week.
DCC's women slid back into 3rd place in the Mon-Dak conference standings with a win over United Tribes Technical College 79-71. Dawson is now 5-4 in conference play and 11-6 overall.
The Lady Bucs led by as many as 15 points, but with 3 lead changes and 6 ties, the Lady Thunderbirds didn’t go down without a fight. Even though Dawson led 45-35 at the half, United Tribes climbed back into the game by scoring 11 points off of turnovers. United Tribes also outscored Dawson 15-7 in 2nd chance points, while outrebounding them 29-25. However, Dawson had too much firepower from 5 of their players.
Brianna Bergum of Garniell, MT led the team with an impressive 21 points, along with 7 assists, 6 steals, 3 rebounds, and 1 defensive charge. Sabira Ahayeva, who missed most of the first semester with an injury, had a breakout game in her 2nd game back with 20 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal. Eva Kingston scored 14 points. Hailee Brandon of Big Tiimber, MT pumped in 11 points and 7 rebounds. Olivia Williams added 11 of her own.
Dawson Head Coach Romeo Lagmay, Jr. commented, “It was another tough night for us with not having our full team suited up. This goes to show that we can dig down deep and overcome the game of runs in these last two games. Tribes competes and you have to keep your guard up at all times. They caught us by surprise in the 1st and 4th quarter, but we managed to pull it out. It’s nice to see our players show resiliency. Brianna Bergum did it all tonight, and she is just getting better game after game, and it was good to see Sabira back in the lineup because it’s obvious she makes a huge difference with her playmaking skills.”
LaTosha Thunderhawk produced a double double for United Tribes with a game high 27 points and 10 rebounds. Kelanna McClain had 13 points and 6 rebounds. Sandie Friday pumped in 10 points, along with 6 assists. Tyleigh Brady had a game high 11 assists, and 7 points.
DCC will return back home when they host Miles City Community College on Sunday, January 16 at 2:00 pm.
