(Editor's note: DCC Athletics release)
GLENDIVE - It was a fun filled atmosphere at the Toepke Center as Dawson Community College beat Williston State 108-74 on Sophomore Night. The near capacity crowd arrived early to honor the 9 sophomores, and they were loud throughout. The leading 3-point shooting team in the country didn't disappoint with a sizzling 17-30 night from long range. Dawson avenged an earlier four point loss to one of only 3 teams to beat them this season.
"Our crowd has been absolutely amazing," exclaimed Coach Joe Peterson. "I think it would be hard to find another junior college or even a four year college outside of the biggest D1 conferences who have a home atmosphere like we do. The building is absolutely electric. It is so much fun for everyone! I love seeing everyone stay after the game to shake hands with the players or take a picture with them. We are incredibly grateful for our students and the local community who support us. Glendive is a special place!"
Williston built an early 5 point lead, but the Bucs battled back and found themselves up 5 with less than four minutes remaining in the half. Dawson's depth helped them finish the half on a 12-2 run to claim a 15 point halftime cushion. They rode their good shooting to outscore the visiting Tetons 18-8 to open the second half to blow the game open. Three straight 3-pointers from Reggie Martin, followed by a Joe Mpoyo 3-pointer capped the big run. The Bucs outscored the Tetons 63-44 in the second half. Dawson finished the game by shooting 53% from the field, 57% from the 3-point line and 92% from the free throw line. The Bucs had 30 assists on 40 made field goals. Their defensive effort was equally impressive, forcing 24 turnovers.
All 12 Buccaneers who played scored and rebounded. Dawson had 6 players in double figures led by Martin's 19 points on 5-7 shooting from the 3PT line and 4 offensive rebounds. DeAngelo Horn had 18 points on 7-9 shooting, collected 6 rebounds and had a monster dunk after Jalen Tot threw it off the backboard. Joe Mpoyo got all his points behind the 3PT line, scoring 15 points on 5 three-pointers. Jalen Tot contributed 14 points and Riley Spoonhunter went 5-5 from the field to finish with 13 points. JaJuan Tot rounded out the double digit scorers from Dawson with 12 points to go along with 7 assists and 3 steals.
The Tetons had a good night from Clovis Gallon as he scored 15 points on an efficient 6-10 shooting. Ezekiel Spann finished with 14 points and 5 rebounds and Galdo Tutu also chipped in with 13 points and 6 rebounds.
Coach Peterson shared, “I’m so happy for our 9 sophomores. It was a special night for this special group. They’ve gone 45-8 so far in their two seasons at Dawson and 25-1 at home, and took us to Nationals for the first time in program history last year. It was fun to see them enjoy so much tonight and make more memories. I love how hard we played tonight and how well we played together. We keep getting better and are playing our best ball at the end of the season. There are a lot more memories ahead for this team.”
Dawson Community College is now 22-5 on the season and 14-4 in conference. They will finish the regular season with 3 straight road games, starting on Sunday when they travel to North Dakota and play Bismarck State College at 3:00 pm.
