Dawson Handles Williston in 1st Place Battle
In a battle between the top two men's basketball teams in the Mon-Dak Conference, the Dawson Buccaneers showed how tough they can be with a convincing 91-72 win over the Williston State College Tetons in Glendive on Monday night. When the latest NJCAA National Poll and the Juco Advocate Media poll were released earlier in the day, the Buccaneers found themselves in the Top 25. They proved they belonged in the poll by beating a hot Williston team that had won nine games in a row on the court before Monday night.
"I was really pleased with our defensive effort tonight," boasted Dawson Coach Joe Peterson. "We held a team averaging 97 points per game to 72 tonight. We made them work hard for everything they got and really locked in for most of the game. We also kept them off the offensive glass, especially in the second half. Sammy was huge again tonight and Ade keeps getting better and better each game. While we have been battling injuries, it has been special to see other guys step up and make an impact."
The two teams exchanged the lead a couple of times in the opening minutes before Dawson took the lead at 10-8 after a lay-up and 3-pointer from Justin Asi with 15:29 remaining. The Buccaneers never relinquished the lead again. That was the start of an 18-3 run. Later on, Dawson made a 10-1 run that was sparked by three straight baskets from Ade Onaleye. Brandon Hymes capped the run with a lay-up that put the Bucs up 38-24. Dawson shot 56% from the field and held Williston to 25% to take a 45-32 lead into half-time. The only thing that kept the visitors within striking distance was getting 14 free throws. Justin Asi led the way for the Bucs in the first half with 13 points and 8 rebounds. Josiah McDonald led Williston with 13 points of his own.
Dawson came out of the blocks strong in the second half, scoring the first six points to stretch their lead to 19. They maintained a firm grip on the game throughout. The only time the Tetons really threatened was halfway through the final half when Rex Stirling scored five straight points and then Demetric Kindle scored to bring the visitors within ten points at 66-56. Seth Amunrud answered with a traditional three-point play and the Bucs never looked back, stretching the lead to twenty three points towards the end. A late free throw and 3-pointer by the visitors closed out the scoring and made the final margin 19 points.
The Bucs shot 54% from the field in the game while holding the Tetons to 35%. They outscored them 54-20 on points in the paint. The rebounding battle also went Dawson's way 41-35 and they forced the visitors into 19 turnovers on the night. .
Seth Amunrud finished with a game high 21 points on 8-13 shooting from the field and 2-3 from the 3-point line. Justin Asi had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Sam Massaquoi also had a double double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Ade Onaleye finished with 17 points and 5 rebounds. Nine different players scored for Dawson and nine guys also grabbed a rebound. Josiah McDonald, Rex Stirling and Demetric Kindle each had 13 points for Williston. Stirling finished with a game high 15 rebounds.
The Bucs move to 21-2 on the season. It was Dawson's 8th straight win as they remain undefeated at home this season (11-0) and undefeated in conference play (7-0). They will go on the road this coming weekend with games at North Dakota State College of Science on Sunday afternoon and Lake Region State College on Monday night.
