Jacob Vis scored a season-high 27 points and
Cade Bleeker netted 22 in leading the Dordt University men's basketball team to a 96-85 win against IU East in the final game of the Pizza Ranch Classic, hosted by Northwestern, in Orange City, Iowa.
The Defenders improve to 5-0 as they head into their conference opener on Wednesday night, Nov. 16 against Morningside in Sioux City. IU East lost for the second time in as many days and drops its record to 2-2.
Vis and Bleeker combined for 27 points in a first half that had the Defenders in front 45-37. The teams traded baskets early until Vis and
Jackson Louscher combined to score all 11 points during an 11-4 run as Dordt opened up a 17-10 lead. Dordt pushed its lead to 10 (26-16) on the end of a 3-point play by Vis but IU East responded with its best run, outscoring the Defenders 15-5, to tie the score at 31 with four minutes left in the first half.
A lay-up by Bleeker broke the tie and Dordt outscored the Red Wolves 14-6 to take a 45-37 lead into halftime following three free throws by
Bryce Coppock.
Lucas Lorenzen scored the final six points of a 9-0 run to give the Defenders a 58-45 lead early in the second half. Dordt was unable to put IU East away completely, however, as the Red Wolves gradually came back, and following back-to-back lay-ups by Kobe Ward, closed to within six (67-61) at the 10-minute mark.
Dordt outscored the Red Wolves 11-2 over the next three minutes and reclaimed the momentum by taking its largest lead (78-63) on another Vis basket in the paint. IU East mounted one final rally, outscoring the Defenders 15-3 over a four-minute stretch, to make it a one possession game, 83-80. With the game's outcome in question, the Defenders secured the victory with five consecutive stops on defense as they scored 10 unanswered points and closed the game on a 12-5 run.
By the Numbers...
- Dordt shot 48% for the game and made a season-high 31 free throws, making 31-of-40 attempts
- a day after tying the school record by making 18 three-pointers, the Defenders made 5 of its 13 attempts (39%)
- the Defenders continued to great balance offensively as five players scored in double figures
- Coppock registered his first career double-double with 18 points and a career-high 11 rebounds
- Louscher continued to provide a spark off the bench as the junior scored 14 points to go with a career-high eight boards
- Lorenzen added 10 points
- Coppock, Louscher and Bleeker have scored in double figures in all five games
- Luke Rankin dished out a game-high seven assists
- IU-East was led by Jake Johnson and Colt Meyer with 19 points each
