Dec. 4—SIOUX CENTER, Iowa. — On the back of a big night from Macy Sievers, top-ranked Dordt University turned back a stern challenge from No. 17 Dakota Wesleyan University women’s basketball for a 66-61 Great Plains Athletic Conference victory on Wednesday night at De Witt Gymnasium.
Boosted by three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, Sievers, a 5-foot-8 junior guard, dropped in a game-high 24 points and also paced all players with eight rebounds and four assists. With the win, Dordt (8-0, 4-0 GPAC), the defending NAIA champions extended their win streak to 17 games, which dates back to the start of last season’s GPAC tournament.
DWU (6-3, 3-2 GPAC) took control of the contest early on, leading 20-15 after the first quarter and widening the gap to its largest of the opening half at nine points early in the second quarter. But after taking an eight-point edge with less than two minutes to go before halftime, an 8-2 push over the final 90 seconds by Dordt brought the margin to 35-33 at the break.
Again in the third quarter, DWU stretched its edge to 44-34, but an 8-0 Defenders run to close the frame reset the deficit to two points. Early in the fourth quarter, the Defenders tied the game at 44-all, marking the first time since the first quarter that the Tigers didn’t hold an advantage. Later in the frame, Dordt took just its second lead of the game at 57-55; however, it was an edge the Defenders held onto over the final 3:44 to deny DWU’s upset bid.
Sievers added four steals to her final stat line, while Janie Van Donge offered 11 points and seven rebounds for the Defenders. Olivia Harazin chipped in nine points and three assists, while Desta Hoogendoorn contributed seven points and five rebounds off the bench.
DWU’s top two scorers both came off the bench, as Taliyah Hayes scored 17 points and Maleighya Estes added 13 points and five rebounds. Mya Wilson recorded 11 points, while Avery Broughton and Emma Yost each had eight points and six rebounds.
Next up, the Tigers are back on the road for another GPAC contest, heading to Hastings (Neb.) on Saturday, Dec. 7.
No. 1 Dordt 66, No. 17 Dakota Wesleyan 61
DWU (6-3, 3-2 GPAC): Mya Wilson 4-9 2-3 11, Avery Broughton 4-9 0-0 8, Emma Yost 2-5 4-4 8, Rylee Rosenquist 2-5 0-0 4, Shalayne Nagel 0-4 0-0 0, Taliyah Hayes 6-9 4-4 17, Maleighya Estes 6-14 0-0 13, Avery Orth 0-2 0-0. Totals 24-57 10-11 61.
Dordt (8-0, 4-0 GPAC): Macy Sievers 8-15 2-4 24, Janie Van Donge 4-7 3-6 11, Olivia Harazin 4-9 0-0 9, Ellie Lems 3-6 0-0 6, Willow Bleeker 0-3 2-2 2, Desta Hoogendoorn 3-4 1-3 7, Brooke Smith 2-5 0-0 4, Ava Lingemann 1-1 0-0 3, Kaylee Davis 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-50 9-15 66.
Dordt 15 33 42 66
DWU 20 35 44 61
3-point field goals: DWU 3-17 (Hayes 1-3, Wilson 1-5, Estes 1-6, Broughton 0-1, Yost 0-1, Rosenquist 0-1), Dordt 7-16 (Sievers 5-7, Lingemann 1-1, Harazin 1-4, Bleeker 0-2, Smith 0-2). Rebounds-offensive: DWU 23-9 (Broughton 6, Yost 6), Dordt 24-4 (Sievers 8). Total fouls: DWU 18, Dordt 14. Assists: DWU 3 , Dordt 13 (Sievers 4). Turnovers: DWU 18, Dordt 15. Blocks: DWU 2 (Broughton 2), Dordt 2. Steals: DWU 8 (Rosenquist 4), Dordt 8 (Sievers 4).
