Dawson Explodes in the 2nd half to Beat Miles
The Dawson Bucs moved to 7-0 overall on the season and 4-0 in Mon-Dak Conference play with an emphatic 89-68 win at home against the Miles Community College Pioneers. It was the Bucs 17th straight home win. Before that streak started, they had a 35 game home winning streak; so Dawson has won 52 of their last 53 home games since 2019. Dawson forced 22 turnovers in Sunday's game and snagged 22 offensive rebounds. Those two categories led to 21 more shots than the visiting Pioneers.
The game started with Dawson controlling the tip and Ty Buckmon scoring inside to give the hosts a 2-0 lead. The Bucs never relinquished the lead, even though the first half was a close contest throughout with 7 ties. Dawson's biggest lead was an eight point advantage in the opening five minutes at 14-6 after a 7-0 run with a lay-up by Buckmon, 3-pointer from Seth Amunrud and a jumpshot from Jordan Jasper. Miles came right back with a 8-0 run on a 3-pointer from Payton Kokot, dunk by Aguir Dawam and another 3-pointer from Ryder Lee. After that, Dawson never got ahead by more than four points in the first half until the closing minutes. The teams were deadlocked again at 32 with 2:41 remaining in the half, but Dawson closed out the half with a 10-5 spurt fueled by two more 3-pointers and two free throws from Amunrud and a Buckmon lay-up. DCC went into intermission with a slim 42-37 advantage.
The second half was a different story though. The Bucs opened the second half with a 21-4 run over the first seven minutes that put the game away. Dawson big man, Justin Asi, was the catalyst with thirteen points in that stretch, including two 3-pointers and three buckets inside. Their defense really picked it up, holding the Pioneers scoreless for eight straight possessions during the big run. The lead ballooned to 27 points with 4:28 remaining as Dawson sailed to their seventh straight win to open the season. In the second half, Dawson held their visitors to 34% shooting from the field, including 10% from the 3 point line (1-10), while forcing 12 more turnovers.
"I thought our defensive intensity really picked up after half-time," said Dawson Coach Joe Peterson. "I didn't like our focus and effort in the first half. When we are locked in, communicating and flying around on defense, we can be really hard to beat. Sam Massaquoi really gave us a big lift off the bench in the second half. He came in and hounded their ball-handlers and gave our defense some life and energy. Little things like that might not show up in the box score, but they lead to wins."
Dawson had 20 assists and only 13 turnovers in the game and outrebounded Miles 47-42. Asi led all scorers with 22 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Amunrud finished with 18 points, but also contributed 6 rebounds, 6 steals and 4 assists. Roniel Oguekwe added in 16 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks. Buckmon rounded out Dawson's double digit scoring with 11 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds. Ethan Venema led the visiting Pioneers with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Dawson will travel to Bismarck on Monday to play a United Tribes Technical College team that is 7-2 on the season and 3-1 in conference play.