Sam Milanovich Classic Recap Day 1

Nov. 27—DICKINSON — Any calories gained on Thanksgiving were certainly burned off by the athletes inside the Scott Gymnasium over the weekend. Dickinson State University hosted the Sam Milanovich Classic, starting Friday, Nov. 24, featuring programs from Rocky Mountain College, Valley City, Oak Hills Christian College, and, of course, the DSU Blue Hawks.

The long-standing basketball event was successful in its purpose to provide each participating team with competition and experience in the early month of the season. Rocky Mountain men's and women's teams won their respective games, and the Blue Hawks' men indubitably dominated Oak Hills Christian College with a 72-point margin victory — their largest win of the season so far.

Rocky Mountain College (#14) defeat Valley City State 108-80

RMC 50-58 — 108

VCS 40-40 — 80

The day kicked off with the Bears securing a comfortable win against the Vikings, with three players contributing more than 20 points each. They held a 10-point lead going into the second half, shooting 55 percent from the field. Maintaining a .50 field goal percentage in the second half, they scored an additional 58 points. RMC created more opportunities in the game with successful rebounding.

Maxim Stephens led both teams in points with 24 and led his team in rebounds with 8. Jesse Owens recorded 23 points and 3 rebounds to follow Stephens in both categories. Cade Tyson tied Owens in rebounds, all three defensively, while Owens collected one from the offensive side of the court. Elliot Brooks and Luca Brooks also contributed double-digit points, with 21 and 12, respectively.

Valley City fought hard inside the paint, and their speed augmented their counter-attacking plays, with 36 of their points coming from the lane, showcasing success in turnovers.

Hunter Lyman completed double-doubles with 12 rebounds and 19 points. Lamar Grayson contributed 19 points to his team, nearly going 100 percent from the line, shooting 7-of-8 from the charity stripe.

Rocky Mountain College (#14) defeat Dickinson State University 81-74

RMC 19-16-27-19 — 81

DSU 24-11-12-27 — 74

The Bears' women's program also secured a victory on the day, defeating the Blue Hawks after a momentous third quarter. DSU responded with an aggressive fourth-quarter rally, including a full-court press, but came up short against the nationally ranked team.

Blue Hawks' Sam Oase was out of play for the non-conference game, giving the Bears a height advantage. Maneuvering around the paint was a tall task, but Dickinson State played an aggressive game, recognized by the most defensive rebounds (32/28).

"Their post was really good. [Morgan Baird] is a Division I kickback and was 13-for-18 on the floor," Eric Nelson, DSU head coach, said. "With our starting post out tonight, we knew we were going to have some issues with our height. Which is why we tried to press and try to speed them up a little bit and get them out of their game, but they are the 14th ranked team in the country for a reason."

The two sides were tied at 35 going into the third quarter. After initially leading in the first quarter 24-19, the Blue Hawks had a spell of missed opportunities, scoring only 23 points between the second and third quarters. The Bears scored 27 points in the third quarter alone, having a greater number of attempts from the paint. Rocky Mountain had the largest lead at the top of the final quarter, by 18 points.

Morgan Baird led both teams in points scored with an astonishing 28 points. RMC had three additional point scorers in double digits, while DSU had a total of five. Katherine Fox led her team with 13 points, followed by Kayden Steele and Heather LaBree with 11 and Tinley Pierson and Whitney Edwards with 10. Edwards led with 7 rebounds; Fox was a close second with 6. LaBree was perfect from the free-throw line with all 6 shots hitting.

DSU will have a chance at redemption, facing the Bears on Dec. 30 in Billings, Montana. Between then and now, DSU will be traveling around, battling programs from the surrounding states.

DSU defeat Oak Hill Christian College 100-28

DSU 49-51 — 100

OHC 17-11 — 28

The sun had long set, but basketball continued in the gymnasium for the night's showdown between Dickinson State and Oak Hills. The Blues were riding a three-game winning streak going into the game, while the Wolfpack had started the season with a three-game skid.

DSU kept on in their winning ways in conquering fashion, devouring their opponents in a 72-margin victory game. The Blue Hawks had multiple showstoppers on the nights, with each member of their roster scoring at least two points and two rebounds.

"It is good to get some rhythm; it is good to get everyone in the game. We have three red shirts that only get to play in six games this year, so it's good to get them in and in some action, especially at home."

From the tip-off, won by Gus Wright, Dickinson State was in control of the game. Wright would also score the first pair of points for the Blue Hawks. He would go on to lead in total points for both teams with 15, including a dunk. Senior Josiah Haaland was the only other double-digit scorer for the Blue Hawks with 12 points.

John Evans had 8 points, including two 3-pointers and a two-handed dunk. Evans also secured four rebounds on defense and 3 assists. Kose Egbule was another dunkmaster for the team, contributing 5 points early in the game.

Junior Aidan Fishell was hot from around the perimeter, going 2-for-2 from the arc and led with 6 rebounds.

DSU was shooting 71 percent from the free-throw line, with four athletes going 100 percent from the line. Jake Daniel was 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Both Fishell, Daniel, and DC Stewart had 9 points in the game. Local athlete, sophomore Britton Cranston secured 7 points and both halves for a total of 16 minutes.

As a team, DSU had 60 rebounds, the majority of them being defensive, blocking nearly all of Oak Hills' offensive opportunities. Selvig said that DSU hangs their hats on their defense and will not let up whether they are up or down, staying true to their self-expectations.

"The biggest thing is that we want to keep focusing on our principles and what we do, going into the game tomorrow against a team like Rocky Mountain, which, in my opinion, is going to be in the top 25 very soon," Selvig said. "It is very important to us to stay healthy and keep momentum."