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EOU Athletics

Women's Basketball Seth Dahle, Sports Information Director

Third-Seeded EOU Women’s Hoops Aims to Upend Second-Seeded Dakota Wesleyan

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The No. 9 EOU women's basketball team will look to continue its push in the NAIA Division II National Championship, as the Blue and Gold squares off against No. 8 Dakota Wesleyan in the round of 16.
 
The third-seeded Mountaineers (29-4) tipoff against the second-seeded Tigers (27-6) on Friday at 1:45 p.m. CT.
 
HOW THEY ADVANCED: MOUNTAINEERS
EOU held off a late Dickinson State comeback last night en route to pulling off an 80-71 victory in the first round at the Tyson Events Center. 
 
Leading by only two (70-68) with less than two minutes to play, junior forward Stormee Van Belle went on a tear, netting two-straight midrange jumpers and then going 5-for-6 at the charity stripe down the stretch to anchor the Blue and Gold.
 
She finished the evening with 14 points, as did junior guard Maya Ah You (Dias). Meanwhile, junior guard Reece Bauer and senior guard Darian Gasseling added 12 and 10 points, respectively.
 
EOU converted 18 Blue Hawk turnovers into 26 points, and the Mountaineers finished with 13 triples compared to none by Dickinson State.
 
HOW THEY ADVANCED: TIGERS
Dakota Wesleyan eliminated seventh-seeded Milligan in the first round by a 66-54 margin.
 
Despite committing 20 turnovers, the Tigers owned a 53-42 advantage on the glass and held Milligan to a 27.1 shooting percentage.
 
Ashley Bray finished the night 8-for-12 with 18 points and nine boards, while Rylie Osthus added 14 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds.
 
Dakota Wesleyan did most of its damage in the paint, tallying 34 points compared to only 18 by Milligan.
 
Trailing by one (12-11) in the first quarter, the Tigers erupted for 34 of the next 45 points to take a commanding 45-23 lead into the locker room, and the margin proved too much for Milligan to overcome.
 
AT A GLANCE: DAKOTA WESLEYAN
Schedule | Roster | Stats | Athletics Website
 
Dakota Wesleyan is a relatively young group with just two seniors on its roster. However, youth aside, the Tigers are talented, making their second-consecutive trip to Sioux City, Iowa. The squad earned an at-large bid out of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). 
 
Bray leads four Tigers in double figures with 12.7 points per game, while Erica Herrold (11.5 ppg), Osthus (10.6 ppg), and Sarah Carr (10.1 ppg) are also reliable scoring threats.
 
As a team, Dakota Wesleyan averages nearly 76 points per contest and shoots 45 percent from the field. The Tigers rank second in the NAIA in free throw percentage (79.6) and fourth in three-point field goal percentage (37.6). While Dakota Wesleyan is a solid shooting team, the Tigers are turnover-prone, coughing up over 16 per game.
 
WHERE TO WATCH IN LA GRANDE
Fans looking to cheer on the Mountaineers can watch the game live in the booster room of Quinn Coliseum or at Benchwarmer's Pub & Grill in downtown La Grande.
 
For directions to Quinn Coliseum, click here. For directions to Benchwarmer's Pub & Grill, click here.
 
LIVE STATS/VIDEO
Fans can follow live stats for free, or watch live video pay-per-view. A single-game package costs $9.95, while a championship pass costs $29.95.
Live Stats/Video Link
 
HEAD-TO-HEAD: EOU VS. DAKOTA WESLEYAN
STAT EOU DWU
Overall Record 29-4 27-6
Points Per Game 75.33 75.79
Scoring Margin 19.30 15.55
Field Goal Pct. 45.3 45.2
3-PT Field Goal Pct. 36.6 37.6
3-PT Field Goal Made Per Game 8.94 8.00
Free Throw Pct. 69.9 79.6
Rebounds Per Game 42.97 38.18
Rebounding Margin 10.79 9.12
Assists Per Game 17.88 16.94
Turnovers Per Game 15.76 16.03
Turnover Margin -0.242 -1.697
Assist/Turnover Ratio 1.14 1.06
Steals Per Game 7.39 6.88
Blocks Per Game 2.73 2.36
 
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Players Mentioned

Maya Ah You Dias

#1 Maya Ah You Dias

G
5' 8"
Redshirt Sophomore
Darian Gasseling

#10 Darian Gasseling

G
5' 5"
Senior
Reece Bauer

#22 Reece Bauer

G
5' 11"
Junior
Stormee Van Belle

#34 Stormee Van Belle

F
6' 0"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Maya Ah You Dias

#1 Maya Ah You Dias

5' 8"
Redshirt Sophomore
G
Darian Gasseling

#10 Darian Gasseling

5' 5"
Senior
G
Reece Bauer

#22 Reece Bauer

5' 11"
Junior
G
Stormee Van Belle

#34 Stormee Van Belle

6' 0"
Junior
F