Dordt University used a balanced scoring attack and a strong second-half surge to defeat Doane 77–58 on Saturday afternoon at DeWitt Gymnasium. The Defenders improved to 11–9 overall and 6–6 in GPAC play, taking control with a series of timely runs and lockdown defense that held the Tigers to 37.7 percent shooting.

Box Score (PDF)

Doane scored the first four points of the game on a jumper and layup from Justus Gardiner, taking a 4–0 lead before the Defenders got on the board with a layup from Connor Millikan at 18:54. Dordt seized its first lead moments later when Ty Van Essen drilled a three from the left wing at 17:24, making it 5–4. After Doane briefly tied the game at 5–5 on a Jack Wilson free throw, Dordt answered with another burst — a Millikan-to-Jake Proctor three at 15:41 pushed the Defenders ahead 8–5.

Doane rallied to tie the game twice more — at 12–12 after a Trevon Beckman layup and at 14–14 after a Crayton Macholan score — but Judson Henkel's pair of free throws broke the tie and put Dordt ahead for good at 16–14 with 10:13 left in the half. The lead grew when Millikan buried a three from the top of the key at the 6:17 mark, making it 23–21. Dordt closed the half on a strong 12–5 run, highlighted by a Steven Poulicek corner three at 4:20 and an Asa Rogosich right-side three at 1:13. Proctor added two free throws in the final second, giving Dordt a 35–26 halftime advantage.

The Defenders extended their lead immediately after halftime as Millikan connected from deep on the opening possession, pushing the margin to 38–26. Doane remained within striking distance after Gardiner hit a three to make it 38–29, but Dordt erupted with a 12–3 run sparked by back-to-back threes from Van Essen and Proctor. Poulicek added another triple moments later to make it 50–34 with 17:04 left. That run marked the game's largest swing, and Dordt maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.

Late in the second half, Van Essen continued to score efficiently inside, and Proctor's three at the 2:05 mark pushed Dordt's lead to 76–55 — its largest of the night. Reed Friesen added a free throw in the final seconds to seal the 77–58 victory

THE NUMBERS

• Field Goals
  • Doane: 20–53 (37.7%)
  • Dordt: 28–62 (45.2%)
     
• Three-Point Field Goals
  • Doane: 7–29 (24.1%)
  • Dordt: 12–35 (34.3%)
     
• Rebounds
  • Doane: 35
  • Dordt: 40
     
• Turnovers
  • Doane: 15
  • Dordt: 10
     

DORDT LEADERS
POINTS

• Ty Van Essen – 23
• Connor Millikan – 14
• Jake Proctor – 13

REBOUNDS

• Ty Van Essen – 12
• Connor Millikan – 9
• Jake Proctor – 5

ASSISTS  

• Connor Millikan – 7
• Jake Proctor – 6
• Ty Van Essen – 2

 STEALS

• Jake Proctor – 2

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