Dordt Pulls Away in Second Half from Men's Basketball

SIOUX CENTER, Iowa — Ty Van Essen scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to help Dordt pull away from Doane for a 77-58 win Saturday afternoon in GPAC play at DeWitt Gymnasium.

Doane (10-9, 5-7) came out sharp and briefly grabbed the early edge, opening on a 4-0 burst and trading punches through a back-and-forth first half that featured three ties. The Tigers stayed within striking distance most of the way and trailed just 35-26 at the break after Casen Chaney knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and Trevon Beckman added activity on both ends.

Dordt (11-9, 6-6) broke the game open early in the second half behind a wave of perimeter shooting and ball movement, hitting 7 of its 12 3-pointers after halftime and finishing with 19 assists on 28 field goals. Jake Proctor scored 13 points and handed out six assists, while Connor Millikan added 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

Doane showed resolve after Dordt's run pushed the margin into double digits, answering with timely baskets from Justus Gardiner and Jonan Claussen and continuing to attack the paint. Gardiner led the Tigers with 14 points before fouling out, Chaney scored 13 with three 3-pointers, and Beckman chipped in 11 points and three steals as Doane forced 10 Dordt turnovers and came up with eight steals.

Dordt shot 45.2% from the field (28 of 62) and 34.3% from 3-point range (12 of 35). Doane finished at 37.7% overall (20 of 53) and went 7 of 29 from beyond the arc.

Doane continues GPAC play on Wednesday, January 21, as they host Mount Marty at 7:45 p.m. in Crete.

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