Men's Basketball Edges Dordt by Two

CRETE, Neb. — Doane built a 20-point second-half lead and held off a late Dordt rally to earn a 79-77 win Saturday in GPAC men's basketball at the Haddix Center. 

Trevon Beckman scored 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting to pace the Tigers (6-5, 2-3 GPAC). Jonan Claussen added 15 points — all in the first half — and Jack Wilson finished with 13 points and seven rebounds before fouling out. Doane forced 17 turnovers and recorded 15 steals, converting them into 23 points. 

Dordt (5-6, 2-3) opened the game with a 3-pointer by Jake Proctor, but Doane shifted momentum quickly. Claussen's steal and fast-break dunk pushed the Tigers lead to 8-5. From there, Doane's defensive pressure fueled an 8-0 run sparked by Beckman and Justus Gardiner. 

Claussen hit four 3-pointers in the first half, and Crayton Macholan added two transition layups as Doane extended its lead. The Tigers led 44-32 at halftime and had scored 20 points in the paint and eight fast-break points through the opening 20 minutes. 

Doane pushed its advantage to a game-high 20 points at 58-38 with 14:37 remaining. Claussen, Wilson and Gardiner each contributed during the stretch, which appeared to put the Tigers in control. 

Dordt answered with its strongest run of the night. Proctor, who finished with 23 points, and Ty Van Essen, who scored 22, combined to pull the Defenders back within striking distance. Dordt used a 15-2 surge to trim the deficit to single digits and later tied the game with a 3-point basket with 1:21 to play. The Defenders shot 10-for-26 from 3-point range and 81 percent from the line to fuel their comeback. 

Gardiner and Casen Chaney made free throws down the stretch as the Tigers came up with a defensive stop and secured the final rebound to seal the win as time expired. 

Doane shot 47.6 percent from the field and finished with 19 assists on 30 made field goals. Dordt won the rebounding battle 38-28 but was limited to seven bench points. 

The Tigers will play an exhibition game on Tuesday, December 9, as they travel to take on Nebraska-Omaha at 7 PM at Baxter Arena.

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